


Single Parent-trip//Stenbrough

by BakugouLeftTiT



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adult Losers Club (IT), Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Bisexual Bill Denbrough, Cute Kids, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gay Stanley Uris, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:22:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 58,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24213613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BakugouLeftTiT/pseuds/BakugouLeftTiT
Summary: Stan decides to take his four year old son on a vacation of his life. But he hadn’t expected to fall for someone out of reach....OrIn which Stan has a kid and falls for the travel guide of his single parent trip
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Stanley Uris, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Mike Hanlon/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 74





	1. Prologue

_**Prologue** _

_It came as a shock to Stan when he opened his front door to a basket, in which a baby was sleeping, wrapped up in a soft blue blanket. It was pretty Harry Potter like, suddenly having a baby at his doorstep, a big envelope sticking out beside the baby. But he was pretty sure magic didn’t exist._

_Of course Stan didn’t hesitate to take the basket with the baby in, not wanting to leave it outside in the cold. It was winter after all and even if there wasn’t any snow just yet, it was pretty damn cold already. He did look around quickly, trying to spot anyone who might have left this baby and rang his doorbell, but the streets were eerily empty. A streetlight even flickered, making him retreat back into his home and close the door to keep the icy wind out._

_The baby stirred and made a soft sound, but continued sleeping, making Stan coo. He wasn’t much for kids just yet, but he couldn’t deny this small human made his heart flutter. They were absolutely adorable and Stan almost saw a future in which he raises them, but he realized a stranger had probably left them on his doorstep in the hope that just would happen. He was too young now to do that, though._

_After putting the basket on his kitchen counter carefully, Stan pulled the envelope from it, his eyes taking in the baby once more, before he opened the envelope. There was a few papers in it, one seemed to be a birth certificate. There were also some official looking papers and two papers that were handwritten. He took those first, putting the rest down for later._

_Stan leaned down on the counter, just beside the baby, letting his eyes find the first words of the letter._

**_’Dear Stanley’_ **

_He let his lips part, confused as to why this letter was directed to him specifically. Did whoever dropped that baby know he lived here? Was this some kind of trick to make him feel a connection with the baby so he would keep them? Because, even if he wasn’t planning to at first, he was becoming attached already, he knew._

**_’I know this might come as a shock, but it’s my only option at the moment. I’ll explain why later on in this letter, but for now you need to know the most important part of this;’_ **

**_‘The baby in the basket is yours.’_ **

_And now Stan was even more confused. The baby was his? But it couldn’t be. He hadn’t ever had sex without a condom and heck, if he had gotten someone pregnant, they would have told him, right? He might not have been easy about it at first, because really, he was in his last year of high school right now, still lived with his parents and he seemed eighteen too young for kids. But if it was really his, he would care for it either way. That was just the kind of person he was._

**_‘You might be confused as to how, because to answer the question you will undoubtedly ask:yes, we were safe. I don’t know how it happened either, but all I know that he’s yours. He can’t be anyone else’s, but if you still have your doubts feel free to take a test.’_ **

_It sounded logical, a test, and Stan would try one for sure. Of course he had to know if this baby was really his or not. He was still very confused on how it could have happened in the first place and he wasn’t sure who had sent him this letter just yet, so he was skeptical, obviously. And even when when he had figured out who wrote this letter and mothered this baby, he would probably still want to take that test. Just to be sure 100%,before throwing his life around to take care of them._

**_’Next to that, I want to clear up why I’m writing this letter and haven’t called you or at least texted. The thing is, easily said, I’m dying. And by the time you receive this letter along with our baby, I won’t be here anymore at all.’_ **

_Even if Stan didn’t know yet who it was that had written this letter, he felt the pain. Not only for the person who wrote this, but also for the baby. Being motherless is something he couldn’t even imagine for himself being eighteen, let alone for a baby to grow up like that. It made him sad to know and he read further with a heavy heart, without thinking, reaching out for the baby’s small hand and carefully taking it between his fingers._

_The letter was long and sad, the person explaining why Stan was the one to receive the baby(being the father being an obvious reason) and what happened to themselves that caused them to die. There were also some sweet words near the ending, the person reminiscing moments they had shared. Stan felt his heart flutter again when thinking back, clearly remembering the girl who he had shared those moments with._

_Amira Rose van Thorn._

_The girl whose name sounded posh, but was anything but by character. She was a complicated person, her character having multiple sides, but Stan had learned to love them all when he dated her, before breaking it off around one and half year back. It was a pretty mutual thing, Amira moving and too many fights most of them silly, if he was honest-breaking then apart anyway._

_He clearly remembered the last time they had done it, figuring that must have been the time something went different from normally. It had been sweet love that had been shared that night, them having just made up after yet another fight. The next morning, all hell had broken lose and Amira had left him alone. They broke up not long after, deciding it wasn’t working and she moved a month later. Stan had been sad about it, having started smoking and ditching, basically taking a wrong path._

_His sister had helped him back up though, his grades going up again and the cigarettes no longer part of his inventory. He craved them still on occasion, but he never gave in. He remembered how his sister would be disappointed in him, for giving in, and he would start thinking about other things, distracting himself from the craving._

_And now here he was, about to graduate with good grades, planning to take up on college and going for a bright future. Or that’s what he planned. But now, holding this letter that told him the baby was his and he had to sign the papers to become the baby’s legal guardian, or else put it up for adoption, it changed everything. Though, knowing it was his—possibly—he couldn’t just put the baby up for adoption. But he couldn’t exactly take the baby in either. He didn’t have the proper conditions for it, still living with his parents and being in school, soon in college._

_Stan had been deep in thoughts, going over ever possible option, when a sudden cry snapped him out of it. He looked over at the small human in the basket, frowning when seeing they were the one to make a sound. A strange sense of protection fell over him, wanting to take the baby out of the basket and hold it close, shush it with sweet words until they would calm down again._

_And that’s what he did, lifting them up and putting an arm beneath the baby’s bottom to keep them up, a hand on the back of their head. He moved them up and down carefully, softly speaking sweet words. The baby tried to grab Stan’s shirt with their tiny hands, the crying slowly dying down and eventually being reduced to soft smiles that almost made Stan coo again._

_”That’s it.” The curly haired boy mumbled, moving a hand to pick up the official birth certificate and taking everything on it in. His and Amira’s name were at the bottom, his under father and Amira’s under mother, making him sigh quietly, before smiling as he took in the name. **‘Oliver Jace.’**_

_The baby boy in Stan’s arm made a soft sound at the name, making Stan smile even more. He already felt the love for the small human being in his arms, even if it had been just a little bit._

_And in that moment, Stan was pretty sure he could do this, no matter if it would prove to be a challenge.  
_

_It was a challenge he would take._


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One** _

”But Daddy!” Oliver whined, pouting at his dad with that typical puppy face. Stan regretted ever teaching him how to do that, since it made him cave in way too many times. It was one of the many things though, that made Stan sure the boy was his. He sighed and ran a hand over his face, looking at his now almost four year old son. “Look Oliver, I know you really want to-“

“Yes! I really!” Oliver interrupted his dad, now grinning widely exposing the gap from his missing front tooth and rocking back and forth with an innocent look. His small hands were clasped in front of him as his big blue eyes sparkled hopefully. And as Stan took him in like that, all excited and hopeful, he groaned. Why was he such a softie when it came to kids? His own specifically, really.

“Okay fine.” Stan started, closing his eyes shortly before opening them again to look at the small boy. “We will go, but”, he gave Oliver a look as he already saw the grin grow, “we can’t make it too long and you have to promise to be on your best behavior. Not only during the vacation, but also now up to when we go.”

The small, dark haired brunette boy nodded wildly, before stopping and tilting his head, his eyebrows furrowing together. “Why no long?”

Stan sighed quietly, pulling the boy close and onto his lap, moving his hand through the short curly strands. They were almost as dark as his own, just a shade lighter, like his mum’s had been. “Daddy has to study and work, bubba. You know it’s important that I do or we won’t have food and a bed, remember?”

Oliver hummed, nodding in understanding. “Yes daddy, but we have fun, yes?”

The dark haired male chucked, kissing the boy’s cheek. “Of course, bubba. We’re going to have the best time ever and you’ll make some new friends to have fun with, I bet. Won’t that be nice?”

The dark haired boy nodded with a big grin, clapping his hands together excitedly. If he hadn’t been excited before, he definitely was now. “Swim? We swim too?”

”We can make that happen.”

”And doggy!” Oliver squealed excitedly, still grinning big. Stan shook his head with a smile, kissing the boy’s forehead. “Of course you’d want a doggy, huh. But we’ll see, yeah?”

Oliver hummed, before jumping off his dad’s lap, holding out his hand for the man to take. “Go look?”

”Aren’t you excited to go on holiday.” Stan mumbled teasingly, taking his son’s hand and letting the small boy lead him to the small study they had, knowing that’s where the computer was. And as he found out not long ago, the computer knew everything. Stan watched his son with a fond smile, having one of these moments where he appreciated ever having been so lucky to become a father to such an amazing little boy. It had all happened in an odd way, with the small basket suddenly in the front of his door, but he didn’t care how. He was happy he had him.

“Very! Wanna have fun!” Oliver agreed, pushing his dad to the chair behind the desk, rushing to press the power button of the computer and excitedly watching it come to life. He kept bouncing next to Stan excitedly, watching his dad click away and type some things that he couldn’t read from where he was standing. Not that he could either way, most likely, nor would want to. His dad always knew what he was doing, so he trusted him.

Stan mouthed the words he typed, it being a habit he couldn’t seem to break, soon finding a site of a travel agency he was familiar with and scrolling through their offers. He purposely tried to find some kind of group trip, hopefully with kids. It would be great for Oliver, he decided, maybe finding some friends from around here if he was lucky. Most of all, he just wanted Oliver to have kids to have fun with, get along with and thus make this vacation a good one.

”Do we want it sunny?” Stan asked, looking at the boy next to him. Oliver nodded, before deciding to climb onto his dad’s lap, happily looking at the pictures and pointing at the ones he liked. It made Stan smile, clicking on a few to read more about them and humming if Oliver put in his opinion or answering if he asked questions. He knew the boy didn’t read the information and just judged on the pictures, but that’s why the boy asked questions and Stan answered them. Just to be sure it was something Oliver liked too.

It took a bit and Stan kind of wanted to stop looking and continue another day, when he came across an option that sparked his interest. _**Single Parents Trips.**_

He obviously was a single parent and since he wanted to go on a trip with his child, this seemed like a very nice option. That way he would know he wasn’t the only single parent and that way he wouldn’t end up between all these happy couples with kids either. The happy families. Something he was a part of, but not completely. He was happy, of course because Oliver was all he needed and he loved him indescribably much. But sometimes he missed someone. Someone to take care of Oliver when he had to work, be his mom or dad when he couldn’t. Of course Stan’s mom helped out greatly by babysitting Oliver a lot, but he didn’t want to always rely on his mom, as she had her own life too.

“Sun!” Oliver said happily, pointing at one. Stan took it in, clicking on the ‘more information’ button and reading through it swiftly. It was a small island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, not very known and so fairly quiet when it came to tourists, especially out of the holiday periods. The first hotel of the trip existed of a few colorful houses made into one building, as it seemed, with nicely sized rooms and a nice pool. There was also a restaurant and even a small supermarket/souvenir shop. The second place was just as nice, making Stan decide that this trip wasn’t that bad of an idea so far.

“How does it look bubba? Wanna go there?” Stan mumbled, kissing the boy’s head as he clicked through the few photos, taking in his reaction. Oliver watched with big eyes, squealing at the pictures of the pools. “Pretty!”

Stan chuckled. “So, we have to take your swimwear then?”

Oliver nodded, grinning widely as he looked back at his dad. “Yeah! Swim with you.”

“Okay, okay. So this is a favorite then.” Stan nodded lightly as he scrolled through the information more, taking everything in and deciding that it wasn’t such a bad choice. There was a travel guide and the transfer from airport to hotel was inclusive as well. Any excursions could be booked there, as Stan read, and he figured those costed extra, but seeing the price of the package with those, he decided he could add some for sure. And honestly, he did basically everything for Oliver. Anything to make the small boy happy.

“Daddy?” Oliver asked quietly, looking back up and up to his dad, who hummed questioningly. “Will go?”

Stan smiled widely, kissing the boy’s forehead. He saw the excitement on his son’s face, knowing he couldn’t say no. And after all, they hadn’t had much father-son time like this lately and definitely no vacation. Maybe a vacation wasn’t so bad, Stan thought to himself. “Yeah of course bubba.”

Oliver squealed in excitement, bouncing on his dad’s lap. “Yay!”

The dark haired male kept smiling, happy his small boy was so happy. And that with something so simple as a vacation. Of course, usually a vacation took a lot of arranging and such, but this trip was just what he needed. He wouldn’t have to arrange anything but the payment of the trip and going to the airport on time on the day of leaving. And packing, but that wasn’t hard, he figured.

“Thank you, Daddy.” Oliver mumbled, turning around and wrapping his arms around Stan’s neck to hug him tightly. Stan wrapped his arms around the small boy rubbing his back and carefully hugging him back. “No problem, bubba. Love you.”

”Love you.” The small boy repeated, smiling against his dad’s neck. It made Stan smile even wider, his nose ending up pressed to the boy’s hair. It smelled a little like coconut, from the shampoo Stan always used for the boy’s hair. He used the same, though for adults, which meant it would sting if it would get in his eyes. Unlike the one for Oliver. Or so the bottles said and he just went with it, though was careful with washing his hair either way.

”Don’t go telling everyone about this okay? Nothing is sure yet, so we’ll have to see first.”   
  


“Kay, daddy.”

“Now, how about you go change into your pj’s and then meet me back here, is that okay?” Stan rose an eyebrow, watching the small boy nod before he was off, leaving Stan to lean back in the chair and look at the trip again. It really seemed amazing, some quiet place, kids around Oliver’s age, single parents. Of course the island also looked absolutely amazing, with the golden beaches and slightly old looking streets in the center. It really looked like a place where you could relax, yet also have fun.

It didn’t take much more than remembering Oliver’s happy smile for Stan to click on the ‘book’ button and start the booking. He made sure the dates were okay with Oliver’s weeks off of school and that he could get free at those times too—thanking himself mentally for doing a study online that he could take a break any time and also looking at the flight times and room options. Like predicted, it wasn’t much arranging and soon he got a conformation email, telling him he had successfully booked the trip.

“We’re going on a trip, bubba.” Stan mumbled to himself, smiling at how happy it would make his baby. And if Oliver was happy, then he was too. It always had been like that anyway, if Oliver would smile, he would too. Unless it was the small guilty one whenever he had done something he shouldn’t have.

Like that time he had somehow ran into his grandma’s small tree, knocking over its pot and spilling the soil all over the floor. He had managed to clean it up somewhat, but the tree ended up missing a few branches and quite the few leaves. And knowing Stan’s mom was fond of the tree, he had kept it from everyone, until at one point she had noticed the change to her tree when watering it.

Of course it didn’t take long to figure out for Stan that it was either his father or Oliver and knowing his dad wouldn’t keep it from his mom, he had confronted Oliver. The boy had only been three at the time, but he seemed to have unlimited energy at times and this indeed caused the accident.

Stan had scolded him and had made him apologize. The small boy had done so, being sad afterwards that he made his dad mad. Stan had told him it was okay now and that if anything like that were to happen again, he should just say so and not keep it from him. The small boy nodded and then they had hugged it out, everything okay again.

”Daddy! Look, have on!” Oliver exclaimed excitedly, running back into the study and to his dad, excitedly bouncing on his feet as he showed off his dinosaur themed pajamas. Stan chuckled, holding out his arms for the boy and watching as he climbed into his lap. “Very good, bubba.”

”So, go have fun?” The small boy asked, the hopeful sparkle back in his blue eyes. Stan hummed, turning the chair back to the computer screen and pointing at the trip he knew Oliver had said a definite ‘no’ to. “That one.”

Oliver pouted, looking at his dad with a frown. “But stupid.”

Stan tried to keep his face serious, but hearing the boy’s words just made him laugh. Oliver in turn gasped, picking up on the joke his dad had made and hitting his chest with his small fist. “Daddy mean!”

“I know bubba. But don’t worry, I picked the fun one.” He clicked on the trip he had booked, showing the pictures to the small boy again. “This one.”

Oliver cheered and grinned up widely at his dad, before putting his small hands on Stan’s cheeks and pulling his dad’s face down to press a kiss to his forehead. “Thank Daddy, love you.”

“Love you too, bubba.” Stan mumbled with a smile, sighing quietly yet contently as Oliver hugged him close, his face buried in Stan’s neck. “Love you a lot.”


	3. Chapter 2

** _Chapter Two_ **

”Daddy! Pretty!”

Stan almost groaned when Oliver pulled on his jacket sleeve, pointing to yet another stuffed animal from a souvenir shop on the small airport. It had been the third, maybe fourth time. But Stan was currently more focused on finding the travel guide. “I know Oliver, but we have to go to the hotel first. Maybe when we go home again, yeah?”

”But Daddy!” The small boy whined, pouting as he followed his dad, still holding his one hand with his own. Stan ignored the whining, looking out for the travel guide, knowing they were waiting for all the guests in the arrival hall.

Once in the arrival hall, Stan looked around to find the right person. There were a few people holding up signs, most with weirdly written names he had never heard of. He sighed, feeling pretty lost, when his eyes finally found the right sign. He tugged his son along carefully and made sure he still had suitcase, approaching the sign.

_”Yes ma’am, we’ll leave shortly...”_

Stan let out a sigh of relief when reaching the person that held up the sign, taking in their young travel guide. He was just a little bit taller than Stan—albeit really just a little with short curly-ish golden/brown hair. Stan wasn’t sure how old he was, but he was happy it wasn’t some old man or an overly happy old lady. This guy seemed to be just fine and that made him relaxed already.

“Ah! You two are here for the single parent-trip?” The travel guide asked cheerfully, smiling widely at both with his dimples on full display. Stan nodded, looking down at Oliver shortly before introducing himself to the travel guide. “I’m Stan. Stan Uris.”

“Bill Denbrough, your travel guide for the trip.” The guy introduced, shaking Stan’s hand while still smiling. He then looked down at Oliver, squatting and holding out a hand. “And who are you, if I may asked?”

Oliver hid behind his dad’s leg shyly, his big blue eyes taking in the travel guide. Stan chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “Don’t be shy now, Mr. Denbrough is just being nice.”

“You can call me Bill, that’s fine too.” Bill said, giving Oliver another smile before getting up properly again. “I’ll just check you two off the list and then we can go. You two were the last to arrive.”

Stan nodded and watched Bill write something on his clipboard, before he moved away to a place where the whole group could see him. “If I could get your attention please?”

Stan kept his hand locked with Oliver’s, occasionally looking down at him just to be sure he was still there, before looking back at Bill. He was explaining what was going to happen. He also mentioned that further explanations and any questions could be asked during the bus ride, but that they needed to get on the bus for now.

And so, the group followed their travel guide, Oliver skipping happily next to his dad, his one hand locked with Stan’s as the other was wrapped around the strap of his small Captain American Shield backpack. Stan remembered when they had bought it, wanting to have a bag for Oliver to take whenever he would need one, mostly school of course. They had set foot in the store and Oliver had immediately spotted the bag, pulling his dad over and claiming he wanted that one. Stan tried to get the small boy to look at other bags too, like the dinosaur one, but Oliver was certain he wanted the bag of his favorite superhero. So here he was, with his loved backpack and skipping after the group while his dad rolled the suitcase behind them.

Once at the bus, all the suitcases were loaded into it and they were asked to take a seat. Stan let Oliver in first, letting him decide where they would sit. At first he wanted to sit all the way to the back, but that was full already, so he picked the front seat that had the best view out of the front window. And Stan was kind of glad he did, not really having the energy to maneuver himself through the bus with energetic kids.

The bus closed, the travel guide sitting down on the small seat at the door and the driver soon pulling out of the parking space. Oliver excitedly watched from the window as his dad buckled him in, watching at how excited his son was for this vacation. It had already been obvious the day before, but now even more.

”Test, test. Can you all hear me?”

Everyone’s eyes moved to the travel guide, who was now standing in full view, holding onto the small barricade in front of Stan and Oliver with one hand and holding up a microphone with his other. A chorus of ‘yes’ was heard throughout the bus, making Bill smile and nod. “Well then, good afternoon or buenos tardes, everyone and welcome to Isla de la Felicidad. I’ll start out with another small introduction, in case you didn’t hear me correctly or anything just now, before explaining some about what is going to happen today and the rest of your time here.”

Oliver moves closer to his dad, watching their travel guide with big and excited eyes, realizing that this man was going to make their vacation even better. Which he kind of thought was impossible, because he was already loving this.

“As you might have heard me say, I’m Bill Denbrough and I’ll be your travel guide while you’re here. This means I will arrange all the transfers needed and accommodations when we change. I will also offer excursions, which you can register for and I will be here for any questions or troubles.” Bill looked around the bus as he spoke, smiling when he caught Oliver’s eyes and almost laughing as the boy hid his face behind his dad’s side. “If correct, you have all received an envelope at home, which contains any necessary information for this trip, which includes my phone number. If you have not received this envelope please approach me after the check in at the hotel. My phone number is only in case of emergency, which means that if your bed or pillow doesn’t lie well, you’ll have to go to the reception. But anything that would be an emergency at home too, counts as a reason to call.”

A hand went up further down the bus, to which Bill pointed that way.

”So, to clarify ‘emergency,’ the female voice started, making Bill nod as Stan turned back to see who was asking the question, “should we think of things that involves fireman, police or ambulances?”

“Yes, those kind of emergencies indeed.” Bill confirmed, nodding lightly before continuing his story about the island and the places near the hotel. It was mostly information that was also in the envelope, so even if Stan paid attention, he knew he could always reread it. What wasn’t in the envelope though, was each time Bill said the cliche line: “if you look to your left....” and then named whatever was to be seen.

There wasn’t much tourist attractions on the way, but each time Oliver would turn his head excitedly, making Stan smile. It amazes him how the small boy was still so extremely excited and not tired, even with the time difference and crappy airplane sleep. They had left home around one in the morning if not earlier and had ended up in a plane around three in the morning. Then again, Oliver had slept through the whole car ride and the whole flight, so it wasn’t much of a surprise he had energy now.

At one point, when their travel guide had sat down again and the bus was filled with soft chatter mostly kids chatter, Oliver even took it upon himself to make sure the travel guide didn’t disappear. He kept peeking over the small barricade and down at the man that was going through some papers and sometimes looking out the front window.

Bill didn’t notice, until Oliver giggled when he dropped something. That got the travel guide’s attention and made him look up, Oliver squeaking and fast to pull his head back, sitting in the seat again as if nothing had happened. Stan looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but all he got in return was an innocent face. The dark haired male then shook his head, smiling and pulling his son closer to kiss his head. “Don’t hurt yourself while being so silly.”

“Won’t.” Oliver confirmed, kissing his dad’s cheek before deciding he had pretended long enough and peeked over the barricade again. The travel guide wasn’t looking, which made Oliver giggle again, sighing back in his seat. Stan simply let the boy be, only watching him with a smile.

Oliver carefully peeked over the barricade once again, squealing in surprise when he was met with the familiar face of the travel guide. He hid in his dad’s side, before bursting out into giggles. Bill laughed along which Stan found to sound like giggles a lot and carefully loved from his small seat to the one on the other side of the aisle from the two. Oliver peeked out from his dad’s side, grinning at the travel guide.

“So you like playing games?” Bill asked the small boy, trying to get a conversation out of him this time. Stan was thankful for it, having had trouble staying awake ever since they entered the bus and now Oliver was distracted and in good hands, maybe he could catch some sleep.

The small boy nodded shyly, biting his lower lip as he took the travel guide in, trying to figure out whether he was someone he could talk to or not. He knew his dad talked to him too and since he was so funny with the silly hide and peek, Oliver decided to start with quiet words. “Yes.”

Bill smiled widely, nodding. “That’s nice. Do you have a favorite game too?”

”Soccer.” Oliver pressed himself closer to his dad, but smiled, keeping his eyes on the travel guide across from him. He nodded and took a short look around the bus, before having his attention back on Oliver. “And, do you have a name too, or is that a secret?”

Oliver giggled lightly, before shrugging. He then smiled wider as the man continued. “Oh, I know. You must be a superhero! That’s why you don’t tell your name, is that it?”

“Yes!” Oliver excitedly confirmed, grinning at the man and showing off the gap of his missing tooth. He then looked up at his dad, planning to tell him about how he was now a superhero, only to spot his dad was asleep. He giggled, sitting up a little and leaning over his dad’s lap to the man, speaking quietly. “Daddy, sleep.”

Bill hummed, giving the boy a fond smile. “He is, yeah. Maybe we should be quiet and let him sleep, don’t you think?”

Oliver nodded, before sitting back in his seat properly and cuddling into his dad’s side again, closing his eyes. He only opened them shortly when he heard someone move, watching the travel guide move to go back, smiling and waving at the small boy when noticing eyes on him. Oliver waved back shyly, before closing his eyes again, contently cuddled up to his dad.

The vacation had barley started, but Oliver was already having the time of his life. Plus, he was with his dad so nothing could beat it anyway. And from what he remembered, there were going to be really nice pools they could swim in and his dad had even mentioned a big water park. Oliver hadn’t been sure what it meant at first, but after his dad’s explanation that it was a park with a lot of pool and slides, he had been even more excited than before to go on this vacation.

And now here he was, contently cuddled up to his favorite person in the world and thinking about all the things he would do with him on this vacation.


	4. Chapter 3

** _Chapter Three_ **

The colors of the hotel were easily spotted from a distance, making most of the bus let out excited sounds. Mostly from kids, as a few parents had fallen asleep, just like Stan. Bill had kept an eye out and talked with some kids or played a small and easy game. Nothing he wasn’t used to.

“I see it.” A girl screamed through the bus the second she spotted the hotel, making all the sleeping parents stir and wake up.

Stan rubbed at his eyes tiredly, yawning quietly. He then remembered where he was and the first thing he did was look for Oliver. The small boy was still cuddled into his side and awake, looking up at his dad with a big grin. “Hi daddy.”

The dark-haired male chuckled, kissing the boy’s head before stretching a little. “Hi bub.”

”We here.” Oliver mumbled, pointing to the colorful hotel. Stan hummed, watching the hotel while the bus parked. Bill had by then gone back to the front of the bus and was standing in full view again, holding the microphone. “If I can get your attention for the few remaining seconds of the ride.”

Most kids kept their eyes out of the windows or didn’t pay attention at all, but all the parents did, knowing the travel guide knew everything the best. Of course they also knew most of the information was in the envelope they had gotten, but it was always easy to have someone tell you.

“As you may have noticed, we are parking in front of the hotel. I ask you to stay seated until we have stopped moving completely. After that, you can exit the bus, please without pushing, and retrieve your suitcase before we all move to the reception to check-in. Make sure you have everything and don’t rush anything, we have all the time. Thank you for listening.” Bill finished, putting the microphone back and moving to gather all his own stuff.

Stan waited until the bus had stopped moving and then unbuckled himself and Oliver, leading the boy out of the bus. He made sure they both had everything, before waiting for his suitcase to be unloaded.

The driver took out all the suitcases, ignoring the way one or two kids whined about it going slow. Stan could already see how there would be kids whining about whatever with everything, hoping Oliver wouldn’t pick up on that. He knew the boy was never really whiney in the first place, but he did pick up on things easily.

”Daddy? We go to room?” Oliver mumbled, watching how his dad took their suitcase and moved a little from the group to give them space. He looked down at the boy, humming. “In a bit. The nice travel guide is going to make sure we have a room first.”

Oliver nodded, standing close to his dad as he watched everyone, deciding who he might like. He wasn’t sure and he knew not to judge until he met someone, but doing some speculating never hurt anyone.

Once everyone had their suitcase, Bill guided everyone into the hotel and to the reception. He then politely asked everyone to find a place to wait in the small lobby, so he could check everyone in properly. Everyone did and soon one by one, Bill was handing out the cards for the rooms. He called off everyone on his list, checking their names whenever he handed them their card.

“That’s everyone, so if you would all listen for this last announcement, then you’re free to go to your room and have your free time.” Bill started pretty loudly, making everyone turn to him. He was smiling once again and clapped his hands together when everyone was looking, nodding lightly. “Thank you. Now, you have all received a card, which is the key to your room. The number of your room is on the sticky note that’s on it and it opens the room by putting the card in the lock with the small white arrow down. For now, you can go to your room and unpack, maybe even nap. I propose that we all have dinner together tonight, as a way of meeting the group properly. It’s not obligatory, but it would be nice if you could join. In case you’re interested, we’re all meeting here in the lobby at half-past five.”

Stan rubbed his eyes, definitely planning to nap until then. The time difference wasn’t much of a problem, he just hadn’t had much rest and that, along with the heavy work week he had, was just the thing that made him tired. A nap was just what he needed, he figured.

”Until then and if not, you will find the meeting times for tomorrow in the envelope.”

Oliver tugged on his dad’s jacket sleeve, grinning. “Room now?”

The dark-haired male nodded, taking the boy’s hand and going over to the elevators. Of course, everyone was taking the elevators and they had to wait a bit, but they reached their floor soon enough and Stan was quick to open the door.

“Big bed!” Oliver squealed, running in and climbing onto the bed, sitting down and pulling off his shoes before going to jump on the bed. “Big! Big!”

Stan sighed, putting the suitcase and his bag somewhere they weren’t in the way, before standing next to the bed and looking at Oliver. The small boy slowly stopped jumping at the look, knowing he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to do. He then pouted, ending up on his bum on the bed, looking up at his dad. “Sorry daddy.”

“It’s all good now,” Stan mumbled, rubbing at his eyes again. Oliver noticed, making grabby hands for his dad. Stan picked him up, kissing his cheek and smiling tiredly at him. “Daddy tired.”

Stan hummed and nodded, leaning his head against his son’s. The boy giggled, holding his dad tightly. “Sleep, Daddy.”

”Yeah? Are you gonna be good then? I can’t have you leave or hurt yourself, bub.” Stan mumbled, brushing some hair from the boy’s forehead. Oliver grinned, nodding as he closed his eyes. “Will sleep.”

The dark-haired male chuckled, putting the boy down on the bed and moving to pull off his own shoes. He was already wearing easy clothing, which wasn’t weird considering they had a long plane ride and then also a bus ride, so he didn’t have to worry about changing. He then took Oliver’s bag and put it near the suitcase, before finally lying down on the bed.

Oliver lied down as well, right next to his dad, before moving Stan’s arm to wrap it around himself and cuddle to his chest. “Night daddy.”

☀️  
Having had to change into jeans wasn’t such a bad thing, Stan decided, when he smelled the food the second they entered the restaurant. His stomach rumbled at the smell and he couldn’t wait to have his hands on a menu and decide what to eat. Just like he hadn’t slept properly, he hadn’t eaten properly either. And also, just like his sleep in the plane had been crappy, so had the food in the plane been. So finally being able to have a proper meal? Like heaven.

The restaurant was pretty small and thus a little crowded for its being, small balls of light strung around the whole restaurant and giving it a cozy atmosphere. There were a few tables put together for the group, most already busy to sit down and some even chatting already.

”Daddy? Who sit?” Oliver asked his dad quietly, looking up at him with his big blue eyes. Stan shrugged lightly, gesturing around the place. “Next to whoever we want.”

The small boy looked around a little shyly, pointing somewhere to the back of the table. Stan chuckled as he saw that was where the travel guide was sat, but he agreed either way. He wasn’t going to force his son to make friends, they had enough time and it would come eventually. Oliver was very likable, which was obvious from all the friends he had in class, so he figured it would work it’s charm here too.

“Ah, if it isn’t our superhero!”

Oliver giggled as Bill greeted him, patting the empty seat next to him. The small boy excitedly pulled his dad closer, who had a raised eyebrow. “Superhero, huh? Did I miss out on your superhero-action on the bus?”

Stan moved to sit down, choosing to sit down next to the travel guide. That way Oliver was sat next to a girl that seemed his age, perhaps a possible friend. And otherwise he could still talk to their travel guide, but he wasn’t limited to just the travel guide and his dad now. Oliver didn’t seem to mind either way, luckily, happily climbing onto the chair.

“Am superhero,” Oliver said with a grin, nodding. His statement got the attention of the girl next to him, who turned her head and looked at him in surprise. “Superhero?”

Oliver flushed a light red, but turned his head to the girl, nodding. Stan watched fondly, momentarily turning his head to take a menu from the waiter.

”Which?” The girl asked, looking at Oliver with slightly narrowed eyes. She crossed her small arms in front of her Green Day shirt, making Stan smile. She tried to look intimidating, but her slightly chubby cheeks made her more adorable than everything. Especially with her ‘cool’ clothes.

“Caption America,” Oliver answered proudly, sitting up a little straighter and putting his small hands in his sides. The girl looked at him a little longer, before finally smiling wide and nodding. “He cool!”

The man next to the girl turned to her, looking at the two kids in slight surprise with his pierced eyebrow raised. “Who’s cool, baby?”

”Captain America!” The girl repeated excitedly, nodding at the man. Stan took in the new conversation partner, figuring he was the girl’s father from the way they looked alike. She definitely had his nose and the same pink lips, which were curled up in a wide smile as she looked at the man.

“Ah, yes. I can agree there.” A chuckle left the man, a smile on his face as he looked at the girl happily. The girl nodded excitedly, before turning back to Oliver, obviously starting a conversation again. Stan looked back up at the man, who then looked up as well, locking eyes with Stan. He kept smiling, reaching out a hand. “Richie.”

”Stan.” The dark-haired male spoke as he shook the man’s hand, smiling in return. He then gestured down to the boy next to him who was still very much into the conversation with the girl—to introduce him. “And this is Oliver.”

“My cousin's name is Oliver too, how cool,” Richie spoke, slightly assumed. He then put a hand on top of the girl’s head, patting it lightly but making sure not to move the messy bun that kept her black hair together. The girl whined and pushed Richie’s hand away, before going back to conversing with Oliver. “This little devil is Aries, my daughter.”

Stan nodded, smiling. "I figured."

”Yeah, it is a parent-child trip. That speaks for itself, I suppose.” Richie said with a chuckle, before looking down at the girl.

“Agreed.” Stan nodded again, moving his eyes down to the two kids for a moment. He then looked back at the curly haired man, seeing him look at his daughter fondly. Richie then took the menu again, moving a hand over his jaw, rubbing his stubble. Stan took the time to do the same, knowing they could talk more when they had ordered their food. So far he didn’t mind talking to Richie and since Oliver could get along with Aries pretty well, as it seemed, it was only a good thing. And he could use a friend on this holiday too, he decided.

“Do you think the spareribs will be any good here?” Richie questioned, looking at the menu with slightly furrowed eyebrows before moving his eyes over to Stan, who shrugged. “I think it will be like any spareribs. I’m not sure how good they can cook them though.”

“True.” Richie mumbled, before grinning a bit innocently. “What are you taking?”

Stan chuckled, taking in the menu again and shrugging lightly. “I’m really not sure yet. Most things sound good, honestly.”

”I recommend you try out a fish meal.” Bill butted in, leaning towards the two a little. Stan thought about it, shrugging a little. “Fish sounds good.”

“I don’t like fish though.” Richie said, taking in Bill as if to say to give him another option. Bill laughed shortly, giving the curly haired man a slight shrug. “That’s fine, any of the meat-meals are really good too. But, it is my opinion, I’m not really sure what you like of course.”

”Spareribs it is then.” Richie said with a grin, nodding lightly, before trying to get his daughter’s attention, wanting her choice too. She was still busy conversing with Oliver though, making Stan smile and think that yeah, they weren’t going to be alone on this vacation.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four** _

”Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” 

Stan groaned as he rolled over, slowly fluttering his eyes open to meet a pair of blue ones. They belonged to a face he knew all too well by now and one that looked a whole lot like himself when he was younger. Just with the slight mix of Amira’s in it. “Yes Oliver?”

”Swim!” The boy squealed excitedly, effectively waking up Stan even more. The man groaned again, stretching and trying to get himself to wake up more properly. “We still need to eat first.”

Oliver groaned, pouting at his dad. Stan chuckled and sat up, rubbing his face before yawning. The small boy got off the bed and moved over to the suitcase, happily managing to flip it open and pick out some clothes. He put them all on the bed before moving back to get clothes for his dad too, smiling proudly when putting them on the bed as well. “Dress, then food, then swim?”

Stan smiled, stretching once more before getting up and shuffling to go to the bathroom. He moved a hand through his hair, patting the boy’s head once when he passed. “Very good. Dad’s gonna take up the bathroom for a second, yeah?”

Oliver hummed, moving onto the bed and finding the remote, turning on the TV. He grinned when seeing the TV play a show he was familiar with, contently busying himself with watching while his dad was getting ready.

It took the two a bit, but soon they were sat at the breakfast table, eating some scrambled eggs and bacon. It was one of Oliver’s favorite things, especially the eggs, and he was eating it happily, giggling whenever some of the eggs fell off his fork. Stan smiled when he saw their travel guide, waving at him shortly and once Oliver noticed, he waved excitedly, swallowing his eggs and grinning widely.

The small boy was quick to return to his breakfast, still a little shy when it would come to the travel guide. It was something Stan was used to when it came to people, knowing Oliver always had that shy phase at first. He would eventually either get really close to someone, or just avoid them. It depended on whether he liked them or not.

“How is breakfast?” Bill asked them, the second he reached their table. Oliver looked up shyly, nodding but not saying anything. It made both his dad and the travel guide chuckle, before Stan decided to answer for him. “It’s very good.”

”That’s good to hear.”

”Did you have a good breakfast too?” Stan asked politely, smiling at the man. He nodded, smiling back and gesturing to where the buffet was set up. “Definitely. I always love the local things or try them out when I haven’t yet.”

Stan nodded, looking back at the buffet when the man gestured there before looking back at him and smiling.

“I’ll leave you two to eat now, enjoy.” Bill then said, the two adults exchanging their goodbye’s as Oliver simply waved at the man, still busy with his breakfast. He was a bit of a slow eater at times, especially now with all the distractions.

”Good morning. Is it okay if we join?”

Stan looked up, putting down his glass of juice and smiling at Richie. He then nodded and gestured to the two empty seats across from them. “Go ahead.”

Aries excitedly sat down across from Oliver, waving at him and immediately starting to talk about something. Richie chuckled and put down Aries things, before putting his own things down on the other place, then putting the empty tray on the empty table next to them. He then sat down, looking at the kids once before returning his attention to Stan. “So any plans for today, apart from the meeting?”

Stan nodded lightly, his eyes moving to Oliver briefly. “He really wants to go swimming. So maybe if we can access the pool, we’ll go there.”

“Why not the beach? It’s close from what I know and swimming in the sea is just as great.” Richie mentioned, before biting into his jellied toast. Stan shrugged a little, licking his lips as he took another sip of his juice. “I want to, but the sea can be wild and he isn’t that much of a swimmer, honestly.”

Richie chuckled, nodding lightly. “I can imagine. Aries isn’t that great either, but I’ve asked our travel guide and he said the sea is actually calm here. More than other places.”

Stan hummed, looking at Oliver again. The small boy was giggling at something Aries had said, one of his small hands in front of his mouth and crinkles by his eyes, just like his dad always had when smiling widely. It was another thing the small boy had that made him look so much like Stan himself. “I think the beach isn’t a crazy idea then. Maybe we can get some stuff like buckets and small shovels too, for them to play with. Sandcastles always end up being made.”

“Very good idea. Aries always tries at least once indeed.” Richie smiled, looking at his daughter fondly while sipping his coffee. He then looked back at Stan, licking his lips before scratching at his jaw. “Say, if the kids will be busy with the beach, maybe we can get to know each other more. I wouldn’t mind company on this trip and if our kids get along so easily anyway...”

”Sure.” Stan agreed, chuckling lightly. “We haven’t even properly agreed to go together, but sure.”

Richie laughed at the remark, but nodded. He then took another bite of his toast, groaning when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, shaking his head lightly when reading who was calling. Stan watched in amusement, continuing with his breakfast and looking at Oliver briefly to make sure he was eating properly and not being weird or somehow choking on whatever food he was eating.

”Hey.”

Stan looked back at Richie, who was casually eating his breakfast, listening to whoever was calling him. Judging from the previous actions and his deep sigh, Stan figured it wasn’t a person that Richie liked talking to a whole lot. Or not now at least.

“Yes. She’s taking her vitamins.” Richie mumbled, looking at Aries briefly, who was doing anything but. She was happily eating her breakfast though, putting some melon in her mouth. The piece was a little too big so she spat it out on her plate, pouting. She then looked up at Richie, looking confused when he wasn’t paying attention. “Daddy?”

Richie turned to the girl, smiling. “Hm?”

”Too big.” Aries said, pointing at the melon piece on her plate. The curly haired man chuckled, putting the phone between his ear and shoulder, reaching out to cut the piece in two. He then rolled his eyes—Stan guessed because of what the person on the line said as he finished. He then took the phone in his hand again and looked at Aries. “Hey Ari, wanna talk to dad?”

The girl squealed, before nodding and making grabby hands for the phone. Richie chuckled and handed the phone to her without another word, shaking his head as he finally continued with his breakfast. “Her dad is a pain in the bum at times.” 

Oliver pouted, looking at Stan. “Why me no phone talk?”

Stan chuckled, kissing Oliver’s head. “Who would you want to talk to then, bub?”

”Dad too?” Oliver shrugged, innocently looking up at his dad. Stan laughed at that, patting the boy’s head. “I’m your dad, bub.”

“No, you Daddy.” Oliver pointed out, still pouting a little. Stan shrugged, playing with the boy’s hair a bit. He had already expected for Oliver to start asking about such things at one point(maybe not about another dad, but then again, Stan was open to that, honestly) and he tried to think of things to tell the boy. But really, what to tell a kid? “Maybe one day, bub.”

“No interest yet?” Richie asked curiously, swallowing whatever he had been chewing before his eyes widened a little. “Oh, sorry. That’s like, really personal.”

Stan chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s fine. But no, not really. What’s your story though, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Richie hummed, sipping his coffee again before looking at Aries briefly. He smiled fondly, something Stan caught himself doing a lot when looking at Oliver as well. Then again it was something most parents did, especially when their kid did something adorable. Or maybe it was just them, but he was sure it was a general thing.

“Her other dad and I were high school sweethearts, sort of. I’m about two years older, met him at fifteen. Got engaged early, totally in love, started on her.” He pointed to the little girl next to him, smiling a little. “The second he turned eighteen with this DNA mixing thing. It’s amazing to have a kid of your own as two dudes. Anyway, she was born like a year and nine months later. It went okay at first, being married but we soon started arguing more and more and eventually we decided to break it off, with everything combined.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Stan frowned. He had always hated the idea of a divorce, even if he hadn’t ever been married himself nor had his parents had divorced, he just didn’t like it. Especially for the kids, who had to have the worst end of it all, in his mind. He already had trouble with the thought that Oliver hadn’t ever even had a second parent, so let alone him having to deal with arguing parents.

“Eh, it’s not your fault. It’s ours, both of us. But who knows, maybe I can pick someone up here.” Richie grinned cheekily, winking at Stan even. The dark haired male rose an eyebrow but smiled, seeing the fun in it and shaking his head. “Yeah right. Try somewhere else.”

Richie shrugged, before turning to the little girl next to him, who had tapped his arm. “Dad says talk more.”

The curly haired sighed, but took the phone making Stan chuckle. He then returned his attention to the two kids, who were both distracted by something else. Oliver was watching a small dog play with its owner, smiling and giggling at times. Aries was watching her dad, smiling wide. “Did your dad have much to tell you?”

The girl moved her green eyes to Stan, still smiling. “Told me to be good. Eat good, not let Daddy dress always.”

Stan chuckled at the last part. “To not let him dress you each time? Why not?”

”Dad likes me proper, Daddy likes me punk.” Aries stated proudly, showing off her Nirvana shirt. Stan could imagine how one parent wouldn’t like it and the other would, definitely seeing Richie as the parent that would. After all, the man was wearing a Metallica shirt himself. “So, no punk? That’s what your dad wanted?”

“Yes. But like punk. Not proper.” Aries shrugged, looking back at her dad who was trying to hang up. She giggled, leaning over the table and trying to get Stan to come closer too. He carefully leaned closer, the girl turning his head head a little to whisper into his ear. “Only proper for dad.”

Stan chuckled, nodding and whispering back. “That’s good. Very nice of you.”

Aries nodded and smiled widely, sitting back in her chair properly. Oliver had by then turned back and noticed the ‘secret exchange’, pouting. “What said?”

”Maybe Aries will tell you later, okay bub?” Stan mumbled, ruffling the boy’s hair. Oliver huffed, but nodded, finishing his breakfast quickly after that and excitedly pulling on his dad’s arm. “Swim now?”

“Well, Aries dad and I thought we could go to the beach with the four of us. How about that?”

Oliver’s eyes widened at that, his head moving up and down fast. “Yes!”

“Along with some things to build a sandcastle? Would you like that?” Stan asked the small boy, who then grinned widely, his eyes lighten up. “Yes! Yes!, yes!”

Stan chuckled, shaking his head lightly. “Okay, okay. I get it, Oliver. How about you let us three finish our breakfast first though? Then we’ll go pack our swimwear and be off to the beach.”

”Yay!” Oliver cheered happily, before listening to his dad and watching the other three while they ate their breakfast, talking with Aries whenever she asked him something or just talked to them. They both decided to go build the biggest sandcastle as possible, both not able to contain their excitement as their dad’s finished breakfast and it was time to go to the beach.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five** _

Stan was very content lying on his back in the sun and thinking about absolutely nothing but how he loved the sun warming his skin. He hadn’t had the time for something like this for a while and he was truly enjoying every second of it now he could.

“Daddy sleep?”

“I think he’s just enjoying the sun, but he could be sleep.” Stan heard Richie mumble to who he assumed to be Oliver, after he was the one to have asked the question. He heard a soft hum from the boy, before it was silent, just the soft crashing of the waves reaching his ears.

The dark haired male could have sworn he heard a soft chuckle, right before there was a small shadow blocking most of the sunlight and also dripping something cold onto his feet. Stan opened his eyes which were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses and looked at the culprit. Oliver was grinning widely when seeing his dad sit up, his small hands placed on his hips. His small swimming trunks were dripping just like his completely flat and even darker than normally hair. “Yes?”

Oliver giggled, obviously finding it funny he had disturbed his dad’s peace. “Built sandcastle.”

Stan hummed. “Oh, with Aries?”

“Yes! Come look!” Oliver excitedly told the man, clapping his hands before pointing a little towards the sea. Stan slowly got up, stretched for a second and then looked back at Richie to tell him he’d be a little down the beach for a bit, only to find the curly haired male checking him out. He rolled his eyes at the way it looked all too cliche, Richie lying on a chair beneath a parasol, having his sunglasses down his nose a little as he raked his eyes over Stan’s exposed chest obviously. “Take a picture, that lasts longer.”

Richie’s eyes snapped up to Stan, before he shrugged and moved his sunglasses back on his face properly. “Eh, I got a mental image now—“

”You better not finish that if it’s dirty. There are kids around here and I especially am not planning to explain it to my own any time soon.” Stan gave the other man a warning glare, making Richie grin cheekily. “Apparently I don’t need to anyway.”

Stan shook his head, though couldn’t really suppress a small smile, before finally following his son. He was easy to find, his soft blue swimming trunks with white fish on them a thing Stan recognized easily. Oliver was standing at a big sandcastle, complete with a bridge, towers and even a canal around it that continuously got small bits of water from the canal they had dug to the sea. It was only a matter of time before that canal wasn’t needed and the sea would slowly take their castle away, but it was built amazingly and Stan was really impressed. “Nice job guys. Did you do this with only the two of you?”

Aries nodded excitedly, grinning at Stan, but Oliver shrugged. Stan chuckled at the different answers, raising an eyebrow lightly. “Who helped?”

“Nobody.” Aries said with a pout, crossing her arms over her black swimsuit. It made her look even paler than she originally already was, but she loved the swimsuit. Heck, the moment she had it on properly, she had ran out of the changing cabin to show Oliver the cute cat face on it.

”Ari daddy.” Oliver said, smiling. Aries huffed, shaking her head. “Not tell Ai! Not tell.”

”Oops.” Oliver mumbled, giggling. He then pouted when he saw Aries turn her head away stubbornly, her arms still crossed. The small boy moved over to her and wrapped his small arms around her, kissing her cheek clumsily. “No mad.”

Aries tried not to give in, but as Oliver pressed another kiss to her cheek, she smiled and soon even giggled, hugging the boy back. “No mad, Ai. Promise.”

Stan watched it all with a smile, taking in the sandcastle again. It was still an impressive building, even if Richie had helped out at some point. He then looked back at the kids, getting their attention. “Do you two want to take a picture with your castle?”

Both kids squealed, nodding excitedly at the dark haired male. Stan chuckled at the reaction, telling them to wait before jogging back to Richie’s and his spot, getting his bag. Richie watched him, having his sunglasses up in his hair for now, before finally questioning. “What are you looking for?”

“My camera.” Stan mumbled, before pulling out his camera. It was a pretty old device by now, but the pictures it made were still amazing and by far better than the ones his phone made. And thus he took it everywhere he went that he thought would be a place he’d take pictures. Which obviously means vacation.

“Ah, gonna take a pic of the castle?”

”Hmh.” Stan nodded, putting the strap around his neck and jogging back to the castle, where the two kids were eagerly waiting. “Daddy! Also just castle?”

The dark haired male smiled and nodded, turning on his camera. “Yeah, sure. If you want that.”

Both kids nodded happily, before going to pose with the castle. First next to it, then inside the big square that was in the middle, both while smiling wide. Oliver then carefully pulled Aries out of the camera’s view and watched his dad take pictures of the castle, knowing the pictures would be pretty. He had always loved his dad’s pictures. “Gon be pretty.”

Aries looked at Oliver, smiling. “Pictures, yes?”

The small boy nodded, smiling as well and going to tap his dad’s arm the second he was finished taking pictures. “Can see?”

Stan kneeled on the sand next to his son, smiling as he showed the boy the pictures of him and Aries. The black haired girl looked over Oliver’s shoulder and squealed at the pictures, smiling wide the whole time Stan showed them the few pictures he had taken. “Pretty yes!”

”I will send them to your dad, is that okay Aries? Then you two can have the pictures as well.” Stan told the small girl, who nodded happily as answer. “Yes, please.”

”So polite.” The dark haired male mumbled, before getting up again. “Well, how about you two go play some more, then I will go back to our spot, yeah?”

Both kids nodded and were soon off to build some more things around the castle, making Stan smile as he returned to his and Richie’s spot. He sat down on his towel again, turning off his camera and putting it away in his bag. Richie watched the kids, smiling a little before turning to Stan. “So, got some nice pics?”

Stan nodded with a hum, smiling. “I’ll send them when we’re home, for Aries.”

“That’s sweet.” Richie said with a smile, moving his sunglasses from his hair before ruffling it again. He then flattened it again and put the sunglasses back in. Stan chuckled, shrugging lightly. “It’s nothing.”

“Normally Eddie would take the pictures, but, well, yeah.” Richie sheepishly mumbled, suddenly looking away and Stan could’ve sworn he got even redder through his little bit of sunburn. “Eddie, huh?”

Richie sighed, giving Stan a sheepish look. “He’s my ex. Arie’s other dad.”

“Oh.” Stan nodded, not sure whether Richie wanted to say more or just keep it with that. To Stan it seemed like Richie was still somewhat interested in this ‘Eddie’, even if they had broken it off. But then again, Stan wasn’t all that great with reading people’s thoughts, especially if he didn’t know them. Heck, it had taken him quite the while to realize Amira liked him and his friends had kept telling him how obvious it was, yet he didn’t see it. Not until later and well, we all know where it led eventually.

“I shouldn’t have mentioned him. Single parent trip for a reason.” Richie nodded to himself before turning to Stan, looking at him curiously. “How about you though? If you want to share?”

Stan was a little taken off guard at the question, but shrugged. It had been almost six years since he had become official with Amira and over three since he found Oliver on his doorstep. It had all flashed by, as if it had been just yesterday when he held the nine month old in his arms for the very first time. “I had a girlfriend, around six years back. Split up at one point, one and half year later there was a baby in a basket on my doorstep.”

Richie rose an eyebrow, looking over at the kids briefly. Oliver smiled though, now seeing that day as a good day, despite the sad news about Amira’s passing. “Apparently she had gotten pregnant and never told me. She birthed Oliver, but got into an accident pretty quick after. The doctors hadn’t found anything at first, but she got worse and they looked her over again, finding something and well, it killed her. I got all this from a letter she wrote shortly before passing, having already planned to leave Oliver to me, as I was his father after all.”

”I of course did a test, wanting to be sure and being eighteen at the time I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to keep him. But, I did and I’m happy I did. He’s my sunshine, really.” Stan smiled widely when mentioning the last, truly happy he did keep the small human being back then. Richie smiled as well, leaning forward to pat Stan’s head since he couldn’t reach Stan’s knee properly without having to move too much, making Stan chuckle. “He’s grown since then, a lot.”

“I can imagine. Aries has too, like crazy. She’s only four and a few months, but she’s smarter than she acts at time.” Richie huffed, shaking his head as he seemed to reminisce some moments, a small smile on his lips. Stan smiled as well, humming.

“Have you chosen any excursions yet?” Richie then asked, after they had been silently observing their kids for a bit. Stan moved his head to the curly haired male slowly, before nodding. “Oliver and swimming is a weird combo, but still one. He really wanted to go to the water park, even though before we knew it was an excursion, so that one for sure. I was also thinking about the cycle tour and to be honest, the only parents night out didn’t sound all that bad.”

Richie nodded, sipping the water he had gotten from his bag, licking his lips after. “Aries wanted the waterpark as well, but mostly because of the sea otter mascot she saw on the picture. And the night out is definitely on my list.”

“It would be a definitely if I knew what to do with Oliver. I can’t take him for obvious reasons and I don’t want to just leave him anywhere either.” Stan frowned a little, sighing as he thought about it. Richie hummed in agreement, seeming to think as well before perking up. “Didn’t the travel guide mention babysitters? And a kids club?”

Stan thought about it, remembering that the travel guide had indeed mentioned something along those lines. “The kids club was only daytime though, if I remember that correctly.”

”True.” Richie nodded, then shrugged. “I bet we’re not the only ones going though, so we can totally arrange a babysitter with multiple kids. I mean, if the other parents will agree.”

“One babysitter for more than three kids isn’t fair for the babysitter though.” Stan said, a bit amused. Richie rolled his eyes in response, waving off the dark haired male. “You know what I mean.”

”I do. And it’s not that bad idea.” Stan agreed, nodding lightly. “Besides, just Aries and Oliver together is enough. At least they have someone and that why the babysitter won’t have too much on hands.

“Yeah. I’m sure they’ll like it. Aries couldn’t stop talking about Oliver ever since she met him. I thought I was going crazy.” Richie told the male before chuckling. “But it was adorable. I have never seen her so excited to be friends with another kid.

Stan hummed, smiling. “Oliver‘s usually really shy at first, but with Aries that side never came out.”

”Maybe they were made for each other.” Richie joked, throwing a stupid grin Stan’s way. The younger dad huffed but smiled either way.

”Who knows.”


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six** _

It was a beautiful day, just like the day before and the day of the arrival and Stan was happy. He had booked the cycle trip and it wouldn’t be much interesting if it was going to be bad weather. He was pretty excited, not sure what he had to expect, but still very much excited.

”Daddy, we see Ari?” Oliver asked his dad, as they were walking to the bike rental near the hotel. The travel guide had pointed it all out, how to easily get there, making Stan thankful that he listened during the explanation. Of course it was also in the small envelope with information he had gotten, but if he was honest, he was pretty shitty when it came to reading a map.

“I don’t know bub.” Stan answered, rubbing his thumb over the back of the boy’s small hand. He spotted the small white building, it’s bright orange letters making it obvious that it was the bike rental place. It also wasn’t that hard to recognize the curly haired travel guide in front of the building, talking to someone with his usual smile.

”Gracias.”

Stan moved closer to the travel guide, making sure he was finished talking, before greeting him. Bill turned to him happily, sending a small wave Oliver’s way. “Buenos días, Uris family. How are you?”

”We’re good. Excited, I think.” Stan answered with a slight chuckle, looking down at Oliver. The small boy nodded in return, smiling up at his dad. He may not be that excited, on the outside mostly, but he was always happy to spend time with his dad.

“Well, that’s good. We can start right away then, since unfortunately the other family that was coming along called in sick. So, I’ll be joining, if that’s okay?” The light haired travel guide explained, giving the two a small smile that showed he was a bit sorry about it. But it was okay with Stan, after all the travel guide was nice. “That’s fine.”

Oliver shrugged as his dad looked at him again, looking at the small building that held all the bikes. His eyes widened as he saw a cool bike, tugging his dad that way. “Daddy! Cool.”

Stan chuckled, looking at Bill first. He wasn’t sure if there were assigned bikes or if they could choose from a few, so he rather waited for Bill to tell them what to do before he would let the boy choose. The travel guide gestured towards the bikes though, still smiling. “Go and have a look and see which bike fits the best. Remember that we will use the bike a lot, so it has to cycle well.

The dark haired male nodded, smiling and finally letting Oliver pull him to the bike that had interested the boy. It was a kid sized mountain bike, all black and decorated with cool soft colored flames and a small character that had a flaming head. Basically Ghost Rider, but then the animated kids version. Stan could see why Oliver thought it was cool and carefully moved the bike out of the rack. “Well, let’s try it out then, bub. You have to be sure it rides well.”

Oliver nodded excitedly, getting onto the bike and easily riding off. Stan chuckled as he watched his son sway a little on the bike, before steadily riding out of the small building. Stan walked out of it as well, taking in the boy to make sure the bike fit him, seeing Bill follow the boy with his eyes as well. “Seems like that one could do.”

“I thought so too.” Stan agreed, smiling as Oliver came back to them and stepped off the bike, grinning widely. “This.”

”Seems like you’ve made up your mind. That’s very good. Now only your dad and we’re good to go.” Bill told the small boy, still smiling. Oliver nodded, looking at his dad as if to tell him to go pick one. Stan chuckled, but went to pick one, testing it out briefly before deciding it was good enough. He took it outside by his side, nodding at the travel guide as if to tell him this was the one, which in turn made Bill turn to the man who seemed to be in charge of this whole bike rental which Stan figured from the fact the man was wearing a shirt that matched the sign. Some Spanish words were exchanged, before Bill turned back to the two with the bikes and clapped his hands together. “Let’s go then.”

Both Stan and Oliver stepped onto their bikes, watching Bill take his own and get on as well. “The plan is that we follow the map, which I have here.” Bill took a map out of the backpack he was wearing, pointing to a bright red line and following it a little to show where they would go, “and we come across a few things that might be interesting, about which there is info in the envelope you got yesterday when booking this excursion.”

Stan nodded, showing he was listening and understood the words, taking in the route a little, even though he knew he wasn’t going to remember it nor be able to read the map if he were to get it in his hands. He had thought it would be a little easier, with the island being so small, but it honestly wasn’t.

“If there is a place you want to stop at, for a picture or anything just say so and we’ll stop. The planned route should take about an hour, including some time for stops.” Bill finished, putting the map back in his bag and getting onto his bike. “Ready?”

Both the Uris nodded, Oliver smiling wide. Bill then took the lead, starting to cycle and making Stan and Oliver follow him. The small boy swayed again at the start, but was quick to cycle steadily while looking around excitedly. The streets were pretty quiet, only the occasional car making Stan reach out a hand to make sure Oliver was close to his side. Of course, like any good parent he let Oliver cycle on the inner side of the cycle road, making himself be between any cars and the boy.

“The first spot on the map will be at the right side, only ten minutes away. It’s part of the beach, with a small statue that has meaning to this island.” Bill explained, looking back a little to make sure the two had heard him. They were cycling by the beach, along the coastline, and it was amazing to see the beach stretch on for so long.

They had to cycle quite the bit, chatting a little on the way, soon reaching the end of the beach. There was a small round square, right at the end of the beach with a statue in the middle of it. The square was only accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, a moveable hotdog stand the only thing besides the statue and the stone ledge that separated the small cliff and the square.

Bill slowed down and eventually stopped cycling, stepping off and putting his bike on the kickstand. Stan followed the example, before helping Oliver carefully put his small bike against the bigger adult bike. Oliver then excitedly went to the stone ledge, starting to climb on it. Bill was quick to stop him though, holding a hand in front of the small boy. “Be careful now. Have you seen what’s on the other side?”

Oliver looked at the travel guide with big eyes before leaning forward a little and eyeing the sea down. The cliff wasn’t high, but it would hurt to fall from here, especially being a small kid. “Oh.”

Stan chuckled, sitting down on the ledge and carefully helping Oliver sit, wrapping an arm around the small boy and keeping him close. Oliver gladly sat close to his dad, taking the man’s hand in both his own. “Pretty.”

Bill smiled, sitting down on the ledge as well with a reasonable distance between himself and the boy and then took out a small piece of paper from his bag. “Shall I tell you about the statue?”

Oliver nodded excitedly, moving his blue eyes to the travel guide as he smiled widely. Stan kissed the boy’s head, smiling and keeping silent so the other man could tell the story.

“Right, so, as you can see the statue is of a mermaid. The mermaid is sleeping in a big shell, just like that. The legend is about the isle, how it came to his name and existence in general.” Bill started, gesturing towards the blue statue, placed on a small tower of soft grey stones. The same stones that made the ledge. The stones that made the ground of the square were two colors, some the same as the ones from the tower and ledge, some a little darker.

“The legend goes that one day, when the isle was made because of the Earth moving and doing its thing with all the land, a mermaid stranded here on accident. There were very few people that had somehow gotten on this island, finding the mermaid and taking care of her. The mermaid woke up again in a big tub with water, all healthy. She was so happy, that she blessed the people of the island with the same thing; happiness. Or as the islanders say, ‘Felicidad.’ Hence the name of the island.” Bill continued, moving a hand through his hair at one point and moving his sunglasses on his shirt a little. “The mermaid then returned to sea and was said to need to take a rest, because of her use of powers, to bless the island. She decided to rest in a comfortable shell, of what scene the islanders later built a statue, to honor her and thank her for the blessing.”

“Like story.” Oliver mumbled, smiling at the travel guide. The man chuckled, nodding. “I like the story too. It’s a good one.”

“And the statue is very beautiful.” Stan added, taking in the blue statue. Bill agreed with a nod, while Oliver mumbled a soft ‘is’ as agreement. Stan smiled at the boy’s word, kissing his head again. Bill watched fondly before looking at the paper in his hand. “Well, I didn’t miss out on any information, so that’s a plus.”

Stan watched the man put away the small piece of paper, before he smiled at the two Uris. “So, want to take some picture? Maybe one of the two of you?”

Oliver grinned widely, nodding. “Yes! Pictures.”

The dark haired male smiled at the boy’s excitement, carefully pulling his camera from his bag and turning it on. “Don’t move, Oliver can’t have you fall off, yeah?”

The small boy hummed, scooting closer to the travel guide and watching his dad go take pictures of the statue. He watched his dad for a bit, before looking up at the travel guide. “Like take pictures.”

Bill looked back at the small boy, chuckling when seeing the boy was now closer than before. “Does he? And they are pretty?”

“Very.” Oliver said with a nod, smiling widely as he looked at his dad again. “Very pretty. Love daddy’s pictures.”

”That’s good.” Bill hummed, smiling at the way the small boy was taking in the way his dad was taking pictures. It was adorable and as Stan looked back at the small boy to see him watching, the first word in his mind was definitely ‘adorable’.

Oliver noticed his dad looking, giggling and waving, making Stan wave back before walking back to them, smiling all the way. “How about a picture of us now?”

The small boy nodded, making grabby hands for his dad with a grin. Stan chuckled, watching Bill get up and hold out his hand for the camera. The dark haired male carefully removed the strap from his neck and handed the travel guide his camera. “Be careful, please.”

”Of course.” Bill gave Stan a small nod, holding the camera tightly, making sure not to drop it. Stan went to sit beside Oliver again, pulling the boy close and wrapping an arm around him before kissing his head. Bill moves back a little, bringing the camera up to his face and poking out his tongue a little as he focused on taking some pictures.

Oliver giggled as he noticed, leaning on his dad more and making the man chuckle as Oliver’s giggles seemed to be unstoppable. Bill snapped a few more pictures, before joining the two again and pouting at the way the small boy was still giggling. “Hey, are you laughing at me?”

Stan tried not to smile too wide, taking in the way the travel guide was pouting in a very cute way. He knew it was a little weird to think that way about someone that was here to help them around, basically but he decided just this one thought wouldn’t make a difference.

“Funny.” Oliver mumbled, finally stopping his giggling, taking a few deep breaths. “Now picture all?”

Stan rose his eyebrows, tilting his head lightly at his son. “What do you mean, Oliver?”

Oliver grinned, holding out a hand for the travel guide and grinning even wider as the man slowly took it and sat down next to him. He handed the camera back to Stan, waiting for the small boy to speak again. “Want picture all.”

The dark haired male chuckled. “Alright, alright.”

Bill was a little confused, but figured the boy meant a picture of the three of them the second Stan raised the camera in a way so it would do just that. He made sure to tell the other two to smile, doing the same himself before snapping the picture, happily looking at the outcome with the two by his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you guys haven’t seen any Bill and Stan romance interaction and I’ll promise that will come soon. :)


	8. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven** _

It was the fourth day and the weather was a little damp. The sky was grey and cloudy, but there was no rain and the temperature was still up. All in all, it wasn’t a day to go sit by the pool or go to the beach and enjoy the weather, but Oliver still wanted to do something. He had woken his dad up early after all and his energy was skyrocketing, so Stan had decided to see if Richie and Aries were up to do something. Something inside probably, since it wasn’t all that weird if it would rain later on.

Aries had immediately let out her typical squeal, before excitedly yanking on her dad’s shirt while asking him to go buy some souvenir for ‘Dad’. Richie had rolled his eyes, having just hung up on the call with just him, her dad. He had been asking about vitamins again and eventually he had asked about the vacation, but it had been brief. Stan had been there, as they had been having breakfast together again, and couldn’t help but be amused at Richie’s different reactions to the caller.

Either way, the four had decided to take a walk to the mall nearby, which was luckily indoor and so if it would start raining, they would stay dry. Stan had still thought to borrow an umbrella from the hotel’s reception, taking it with him to the mall.

The mall wasn’t a big place, not like the malls Stan had been to in places, but it was still big for the island. It had two floors and a ton of well known shops around the place, along with a food court and it was currently even decorated with summer themed things. There were lanterns hanging around the mall and small sand buildings were placed here and there, along with fake sea animals and small fake palm trees.

“Picture! Daddy, picture.” Oliver spoke excitedly, trying to pull his dad to one of the big seals. Stan chuckled and let himself be pulled there, Richie following with a slight chuckle as Aries followed just as excited.

Once at the seal, Stan took out his camera as Oliver went to stand next to the fake seal, grinning widely. Aries stood beside Stan, watching as Stan took a picture of two, before running towards the small boy and going to stand by his side. Oliver giggled, wrapping an arm around the girl that was just a little bit shorter, who in turn wrapped an arm of her own around the boy. They both grinned widely and Stan snapped more pictures, chuckling as Aries even kissed Oliver’s cheek for one. The small boy blushed wildly, but still grinned, obviously not bothered by the girl’s actions. Even if he was at the age where the kids often said that girls have cooties or whatever.

“Daddy, can dye hair?” Aries mumbled, tugging on her dad’s leather jacket sleeve the second she was back at his side. Richie rose his eyebrows, but shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

Oliver looked up at his own dad, eyes a little wide. “What is dye?”

”It’s something you put in your hair to give it a different color.” Stan tried, not sure how else to really explain it. Richie chuckled, nodding slightly. “That’s about it. Want to try it, bud?”

The small boy looked up at the curly haired man with slightly widened eyes still, speaking quietly. “Can I, mister Richie?”

Richie laughed a little loudly at those words, ruffling the boy’s hair playfully. “Just call me Richie buddy, no mister. That makes me feel old.”

“Are old.” Aries mumbled, grinning innocently as Richie looked down at her with narrowed eyes. “Twenty five is old, yes, but not that old.”

“Well, who knows. Maybe you dye your hair to cover up the grey ones that are sprouting.” Stan teased, grinning at the man. Richie groaned, before pouting a little. “Don’t team up on me, that’s unfair.”

Oliver giggled, but took the curly haired man’s hand and patted it with his other. “On team.”

“That’s sweet bud.” Richie smiled, squeezing the boy’s hand lightly. “Now, who wants to get their hair dyed today?”

Aries put her hand in the air, standing on her toes as if to make herself more obvious, waving her hand a little. “Me!”

Richie chuckled, picking up his daughter and kissing her cheek. “That was the plan already darling.”

He then turned to Stan, raising his pierced eyebrow a little. Stan sighed, looking down at Oliver, seeing the small boy grin widely. He then ran a hand down his face, before running one through his hair, sighing again. “It’s safe, even for kids right?”

“Would I be taking Aries to get it done if it wasn’t?” Richie answered, his eyebrow still raised. The dark haired male rolled his eyes but smiled. “Okay, okay.”

”Yes? Dye?” Oliver asked excitedly, grinning up at his dad. Stan nodded, then shook his head a little at the excited cheers from both the kids. He wasn’t sure what he had gotten himself into, but he kind of trusted Richie, seeing his dyed hair looked good, he figured the man had some kind of experience with this.

They all went to find a hair salon, Richie taking the lead with that and the kids excitedly following, while Stan was a little more reluctant. Again he trusted the man a little, but he was still somewhat nervous. Was he supposed to join in? Get his hair dyed as well? And all of it, or just strands, highlights? Which color would suit him anyway?

”I’m sure these people can help us very well.” Richie announced, the second he walked into a hair salon that looked very nice. The walls were white, big mirrors placed where the seats were, a small strip of a brown patterned wallpaper between the mirrors and behind the small shelfs with products. The seats were black, placed on a nice polished wooden floor, which seemed to be glazed over with something so the hairs that would be cut wouldn’t end up between the boards. There was a small reception desk to the left of the entrance, where a woman was typing on a computer, while there were two other women on the right, cleaning up a bit.

”So, who wants to go first?” Richie asked, as he led everyone to the reception desk, effectively getting the attention of the woman behind it. She smiled at the four, nodding her head lightly before speaking with a heavy Spanish accent. “Hello, what can I do for you?”

“We’d all like to get our hair dyed? Is it possible right away or do we need an appointment?” Richie leaned on the desk, smiling charmingly at the woman. Stan rolled his eyes, obviously seeing through the man’s flirty ways and looking after the two kids who were standing by his side happily.

”We have a room now, that is okay.” The woman spoke, still smiling and typing on her computer. “All dyeing, yes?”

Richie nodded, looking back at the three for a second, before looking back at the woman. “All dyeing.”

”Alright. Please go to over there and we will help you.” The woman told him, pointing across the room and to her two coworkers, making Richie nod and once again take the lead. All three followed, once again letting Richie do everything. The curly haired man explained to the two workers what they wanted, pointing to each with his explanation.

The first to be up were Aries and Stan, the latter a little nervous. He wasn’t sure what Richie had said that he wanted, this being the first time doing something so extreme in comparison to what he normally did with his hair. The woman gestured for him to sit down, preparing everything and soon starting on the job. Aries was sat next to the dark haired male, grinning excitedly as the woman at her side also got started.

Oliver watched from the seats against the wall, excited to see what his dad would look like after this. He had his hands on Richie’s arm, staying close to the man as if he would leave. Oliver never liked being alone and since his dad was busy right now and Aries wasn’t really available either, Richie was next in line. Not that the boy minded, because after all, he was Aries dad. He liked Aries and thus her dad was a good person too.

Richie smiled down at the boy, before using his free hand to take his buzzing phone from his pocket. He groaned-though may have smiled as he saw the caller ID, picking up with a soft ‘hey.’

_“Hey, just checking up, since you said you didn’t have anything planned yet this morning.”_

Richie rolled his eyes though again, he may have smiled as well and sighed. “Yeah, I know. We went to the mall with Aries’ friend and his dad.”

_”Oh right, okay. Don’t buy anything crazy, she’s already spilled enough.”_

Richie huffed. “I know she is, but you know just as well that we can’t always resist that face. Blame both of us for having great genes.”

A huff sounded through the phone, before Eddie spoke again. _“Either way, what are you guys up to?”_

”We’re in the mall.” Richie said in a ‘duh tone’, knowing it would agitate his short ex. He loved doing that, back when they were together mostly because it got him some good sex, but also because the other man sometimes gave the most hilarious reactions.

_“No shit, dickface. What are you doing in the mall, like which store or whatever?”_

Richie chuckled, making Stan’s eyes shoot his way and Oliver look up at him, smiling. The man smiled back, ruffling the boy’s hair before going to answer Eddie. Oliver had apparently heard though, answering before Richie could, his voice filled with excitement. “Hair dye!”

It was quiet for a moment, before a very loud ‘ _what?!’_ came through the phone, making Richie grimace and rub his ear. He then sighed, moving the phone back to his ear to speak properly again. “We may be at a hair salon.”

_”Richie! We agreed not to dye Aries’ hair again any time soon.”_

Richie sighed, pouting a little and looking down. “I know, but she got all excited and Oliver got all excited and like I said, sometimes you can’t say no to that face. Nor Oliver’s face, he’s adorable.”

A sigh sounded through the phone, before it was quiet for a moment again, Eddie’s voice more agreeing now. _“Okay, but it’s nothing much, right?”_

”Just the tips.” Richie mumbled, smiling as he saw Aries grinning into the mirror, watching the woman dye her hair. It made him all happy to see his little girl so happy, his smile wide and probably not able to disappear any time soon. “You should see her face now.”

Eddie was silent for a bit once again, the smile audible in the way he spoke. _“Maybe you could send me a picture, hm?”_

Richie nodded to himself, taking in Aries. “I will.”

_”Good. Then I’ll leave you and your group to it. Speak to you soon.”_

”Bye.” Richie mumbled, having to refrain himself from speaking the familiar three words after it. It was an automatic thing after all those years, he couldn’t blame himself. But they hadn’t said them ever since the divorce and Richie was too proud to be the first to say anything.

“ _Bye Richie.”_

He hung up, before getting up, taking Oliver along to snap a picture of his daughter, keeping to his words and sending Aries other dad the cute picture. He smiled at the ‘thanks’ he got from the other male, his usual stupid smiley after it. Richie had always called it stupid, ever since they first started texting, calling it’s nose useless and trying to get Eddie to stop using it, but Eddie insisted it made the smiley more realistic.

Either way, Richie may not have stopped smiling that day.


	9. Chapter 8

_**  
Chapter Eight** _

“Ah, went to get your hair done I see?”

Stan chuckled at the first words of the travel guide as he walked into the lobby, nodding a little. “Not my idea, but it’s been said it looks good.”

”It does.” Bill agreed, smiling and gesturing towards the small seats he was standing at. “Let’s sit.”

The dark haired male or now rather dark haired and lavender, with the streaks in his hair—sat down, watching the travel guide sit down as well and take out some papers. “You missed the information about the water park, yeah?”

Stan nodded, watching Oliver sit down at the small coffee table a little from them with his coloring books and pencils, starting to draw peacefully. He then turned back to Bill, watching the man pull out an envelope and hand it to the dad. “This is the envelope. I’m sorry you didn’t get it before, my fault.”

“It’s fine, as long as I get it at some point, right?” Stan smiled, taking the envelope and waiting for the other to continue with the information. He had missed out on the information meeting, partially because of Richie and partially because of Bill. The travel guide had managed to forget to include Richie and Stan in the list of people, so they hadn’t gotten an invitation to the meeting. And since they had gone to the mall without any proper rain clothing(just the one umbrella Stan had taken)and Richie refused to go out with his freshly dyed hair when it had started to rain, they couldn’t have known either way. Stan had tried to get him to get out anyway, but Richie claimed he didn’t want to stain his clothes, though Aries had said it was because her dad was convinced he was made of sugar or something. It had been a nice day either way.

“True. Now, this is the map, which is in the envelope, but judging from the amount of people joining in, we might go by bus. I’m currently asking around who would be up for that and everyone has to pitch in a bit to make it happen, but I’m sure it’s not that much of a problem.” Bill explained, making Stan agree. Pitching in a little to make sure they all got to the water park? No problem to him.

In the meantime, Oliver was smiling as he colored in a parrot perfectly. He hadn’t managed to color between all the lines for a full drawing so far and this being the first made him happy. When he finished it, he first wanted to show it to his dad, but seeing he was busy, he decided to do that later. His dad wasn’t going anywhere anyway.

“Who are you?” A girl’s voice asked from beside Oliver suddenly, making the small boy look up and face the blonde girl. She looked at Oliver with her brown eyes, taking him in, which made Oliver shift a little at the gaze, but smile politely, his teeth on display. “Oliver.”

”Ew, Ethan! Come look!”

A boy looking quite similar to her was quick to appear beside the girl, taking in Oliver as well. He huffed as he saw the boy’s smile, smiling tauntingly. “He is missing tooth.”

”A tooth, Ethan.” The girl rolled her eyes, before huffing as well. “Yucky, right?”

Oliver furrowed his eyebrows as he figured out what they were speaking about, pouting a little as his being saddened. The girl then looked at his coloring book. “Why coloring? No reading?”

“Not like read.” Oliver mumbled, shrugging. He then thought that maybe showing his perfectly colored parrot would make the two kids more friendly, but as the girl and boy huffed, he decided against it.

”That’s stupid.” The boy mumbled, as the girl picked up the book, before throwing it down on the floor. “Yeah, stupid.”

Oliver’s bottom lip started to wobble at that, tears slowly starting to gather in his eyes. He didn’t like this and he didn’t like these kids especially. He wanted to call out for his dad, but just as he opened his mouth to do so, a familiar voice came from his left. “Leave him alone.”

The small boy looked to his left, seeing Aries standing there with her hands placed on her side and an angry look on her face. The two in front of Oliver turned to face her, the girl huffing as the boy started laughing. “Or what?”

Aries narrowed her eyes at the two, stepping a little closer. “Or...I will hurt...you.”

The girl had spoken a little slower, but her sentence was correct and somehow, that scared the two kids a little. Their eyes widened and the girl even stepped back, bumping into the boy in the process. “What?”

”Go away.” Aries spoke lowly, glaring at the two until they left, scurrying off to wherever. Oliver sniffled, wiping away the one tear that somehow escaped and trying to smile at the girl as if to thank her. Aries noticed and quickly went to the boy’s side, picking up his book and putting it down on the table, before hugging the sniffling boy. “Is okay, Ollie. I’m here.”

The small boy leaned against the girl, his arms around her tightly as he pushed his face in her shoulder. A muffled ‘thank you’ left the boy, another sniffle following. Aries rubbed the boy’s back, kissing his head like she had seen her Daddy do to her dad once, smiling as it made Oliver look up at her and smile. “Thank.”

Aries giggled, patting Oliver’s head happily. “Is okay.”

“Much thank.” Oliver mumbled, kissing the girl’s cheek to show he meant his words. Aries giggled some more at the gesture, returning the kiss to the boy’s cheek. “Said is okay.”

Oliver hummed, moving so he was facing the table again, turning the pages of his book until he came to the parrot. He smiled a little again, still very proud of the well colored parrot. “Look.”

Aries sat up a little, scooting closer to Oliver and almost pressing herself to his side while looking at the drawing. She gasped lightly, looking at Oliver. “You draw?”

”Yes!” The boy nodded excitedly, grinning widely. He then stopped grinning though, remembering how the girl had called it ‘yucky’ that he was missing a tooth. He had thought it was cool, to have a gap like that. But he hated it now, his missing tooth. And there wasn’t a new one coming through yet and that just made it all worse. Aries noticed his change though, putting her small hands on the boy’s slightly chubby cheeks and looking at him seriously. “No stop smile.”

Oliver smiled a little at that, though made sure not to show his teeth. The girl tried to pull up the boy’s lips more, trying to get him to smile like always again. Oliver tried to push her away but it turned into a little play fight, ending up with the both of them giggling and Oliver smiling widely, showing off his teeth again. “There is. Good smile.”

”No ew?” Oliver mumbled, now lying on his back as Aries lay on him. He had his small arms wrapped around her to keep her close, looking up at her with slightly wide eyes. The girl shook her head, trying to hug the boy like she always cuddled with her dad’s in bed. “No ew. Smile good. Love smile.”

“Thank, Ari.”

“Stan! Thank god, have you seen Aries? I can’t find her anywhere and I was sure she was beside me just now and I just turned away for a second and then she wasn’t there and now I can’t find her, but she can’t have gone that far can she? She’s just so little and she has tiny legs-“

Stan almost laughed at the way the curly haired male was rambling, if it weren’t for the fact he was panicking. He got up and took Richie’s shoulders in his hands, shaking him lightly while giving him a serious look. “Stop rambling. I’m sure she’s okay, we can find her.”

Richie took a deep breath, breathing it out shakily and then nodding. Stan smiled comfortingly, before hearing two giggles and looking over to Richie’s shoulder to see two kids on the floor next to the table. “Found her.”

The other dad saw where Stan was looking, turning around and letting out a deep breath of relief. “Oh god, Jesus, thank whoever.”

This time Stan did laugh, before sitting down again to finish the conversation with Bill, knowing Richie could handle the two kids. Even if he was older than Stan by about four years, Richie was pretty childish and that worked wonders with the kids at times. It also worked against at times, but in times like this meaning keeping the kids busy, it came in handy.

”So, do you need anything more, or was that it?” Bill asked, smiling at the dark haired male. Stan took everything in once more, before nodding. “I think that’s it, thank you. Any other questions can always be asked, right?”

“Of course. You can find me around the hotel and if it’s an emergency, you have my number.” Bill noted, nodding a little before getting up. “Then I guess we will meet again tomorrow, Mr. Uris.”

”Please, again. Stan is fine.” Stan said with a slight chuckle, shaking the man’s hand. “But thank you again.”

“It’s no problem, Mr.—um, Stan.” Bill smiled awkwardly, before saying his goodbye’s and being off. Stan made sure he had everything, before moving to kneel next to his son, who was excitedly babbling to Richie and Aries about his coloring book and how a friend of his dad’s had gotten it for him from a foreign country. Which of course was really cool, because not a lot of kids his age went to a lot of foreign countries. “Made anything pretty, bub?”

Oliver turned to his dad happily, grinning and nodding while holding up the colored parrot drawing. “Yes, look!”

Stan took in the parrot, smiling widely. “Wow, that’s amazing Oliver. Did you really do that all by yourself?”

The small boy nodded excitedly, before showing another that had turned out pretty nice, excitedly grinning at his dad all the time, no longer caring about his missing tooth. Stan complimented his son on the drawings, even kissing his head, especially proud of the beautiful parrot. Aries agreed with the compliments, making Oliver giggle and smile wider, cuddling into his dad’s side. Because even if Aries had made him a little happier, he still liked his dad’s comfort a whole lot.

“So, excited for the water park buddy?” Richie asked the boy, who looked up at him slightly shy. He then nodded, smiling a little and cuddling more into his dad’s side. Stan chuckled lightly, his arm moving around the small boy a little more. “Why the sudden shyness bub? Richie doesn’t bite.”

Richie put on an innocent face, shaking his head, making Oliver giggle lightly. He then shrugged at his dad’s question and leaned his head on him. Aries, however, sat up. “Sad Ollie?”

Oliver’s eyes widened lightly, but he shook his head quickly, making not only Stan but also Richie raise an eyebrow at him. “Why were you sad bub?”

“No sad.” Oliver spoke, too quickly for it to be true. Richie furrowed his eyebrows a little, leaning forward to pat the boy’s knee. “It’s okay to tell us, buddy. We just want you happy.”

The small boy sighed quietly, looking down and playing with his shoelaces. He didn’t want to tell his dad that these two kids had bothered him, knowing how protective he could get. Plus, he never had much trouble with other kids and he didn’t want to bother his dad with it now. Not on their vacation.

“Girl and boy mean.” Aries spoke eventually, nodding lightly with her own words. Stan frowned sadly, looking down at Oliver and moving a hand through his hair. “Why that?”

”Said missing tooth yucky.” Oliver mumbled, shrugging slightly. Stan frowned even more, pulling the boy even closer and kissing his head. “Don’t believe them. It’s natural bub, it happens to everyone. You only get better teeth because of it.”

Richie nodded in agreement to Stan’s words, smiling. “Your dad is right. And Captain America missed his teeth too at some point just like Superman and Batman and all the cool heroes.”

Oliver’s eyes widened a little at that, looking up at his dad shortly. “Really?”

”Yeah, of course! It’s a normal thing, even for superheroes.”

”Am superhero.” Oliver mumbled, now smiling a little. Aries grinned, happy her dad could cheer Oliver up like he always cheered her up. The curly haired male smiled happily at the small boy, who was now sitting up more and seeming more happy than before.


	10. Chapter 9

_**Chapter Nine** _

It was another beautiful day, making the group more than excited when they arrived at the water park. The water park was big and had a lot of slides, small pools and bigger pools, facilities you’d need along with some extra facilities for the adults. Basically anything to survive a day, maybe longer in the park.

Oliver was giggling loudly as he chased Aries through the pool, the one where they could stand and sort of run through, splashing widely. Stan and Richie were on the side, having found a pair of sun loungers and putting their towels on them. They were both wearing a bracelet with a small key, which opened the locker they had for their valuable stuff. They looked at the kids occasionally, smiling and talking a bit.

“Hi mister Bill!” Oliver yelled, before going over to the side and grinning widely at the travel guide, who was just passing by. The man smiled, waving at the boy and kneeling at the side where he was now leaning on. “Swim too?”

Bill nodded, chuckling at the way it made Oliver let out a ‘yay!’. Stan was watching fondly, before he moved his eyes to the travel guide who—as he had to admit—had a damn good body. Stan knew his own wasn’t bad either, but compared to Bill, he’d almost call himself a twink. Even if he may be exaggerating when saying that, but really, Bill just had a great body.

”Damn dude, look at that body.” Richie spoke nudging Stan before realizing the other man was already watching. He then smirked, nudging Stan again. “Interesting, huh?”

Richie laughed at Stan, shaking his head and taking another look at Bill before going back to properly lay out his towel. Stan bit his lip, planning to do the same but ending up approaching Oliver and Bill. He couldn’t help it, really.

The small boy looked up the second he noticed his dad come closer, grinning up and waving. “Hi daddy!”

Bill looked up as well, still smiling and getting up. “Hi Mr.—Stan, sorry. Still getting used to it, I guess.”

Stan chuckled, mostly at Bill’s awkward smile. “It’s fine. Nice that you came along.”

”Of course, the water park is one of my favorite things about this island.” Bill told the dark haired male happily, gesturing around himself. “Which isn’t that weird, I guess.”

“Agreed.” Stan nodded, looking down at Oliver. The small boy grinned when he saw his dad looking, adding in a giggle when the man poked out his tongue playfully. Stan then looked back up at Bill, tilting his head to the side a little. “Have you actually been long on this island, before we all arrived?”

Bill hummed lightly at the question, smiling. “I get that question a lot, you know? But not really. Two days, actually. It’s actually pretty normal to arrive on the same day as the guests, but this time I had some free time left from my previous trip, so I used that to get a little known around here.”

“Ah, makes sense.” Stan nodded lightly. “Found any nice spots here though? Like, places you don’t necessarily come across as a tourist?”

“Surprisingly, in my two days, I did find one spot. It’s on the other side of the island though, but maybe when we arrive there I can show you and your son, on a free day?” Bill smiled as he proposed that, looking down at Oliver too as if to ask him too directly. The small boy was still grinning, nodding as the travel guide looked his way.

“Sounds good, yeah.” Stan agreed, looking down at Oliver himself. The boy was still grinning, now a little wider even, before splashing some water up at him. Stan gasped playfully, while Bill chuckled—even if Stan would still call it a giggle by the sound—at the scene. It made Stan narrow his eyes at the travel guide, before looking at Oliver. The boy was grinning mischievously, getting ready to splash more water, while Stan moved his one foot to the water. At the same time, the both of them splashed Bill.

Bill’s jaw dropped, even if he hadn’t been splashed with much his eyes getting a playful glint before he kneeled again and splashed some water Oliver’s way. The boy shrieked, trying to jump aside before getting splashed but he got it full in his face, giggling at it.

Stan tried to take revenge by kneeling as well, splashing some water Bill’s way. The travel guide gasped playfully much like Stan had done before and did the same. Oliver giggled as he watched the two men trying to splash each other but not get splashed, mischievously getting out and managing to sneak up on the two. And the boy may have been small and not that strong, but with the way the two men had been sitting, it only took Oliver a small push to get them in the water.

Both men were surprised, coming up and looking at the boy with wide eyes and flat, dripping hair. Richie laughed loudly from his spot, having witnessed it all with a dripping Aries in front of him, who had gone to get a little snack. She started giggling as well, putting her small hand in front of her mouth as if to stop them, but they kept coming.

”What the...” Stan spoke slowly, before smiling at his son. Oliver was grinning widely and proudly, clapping his hands together excitedly. Bill gaped at the two, looking a bit like a drenched puppy, especially when he started pouting. Oliver noticed and gasped, running and jumping in, moving over to Bill and clinging onto him. “No be sad!”

Bill seemed surprised at the sudden attention, his arms raised in surprise and eyes a little widened. Stan found it amusing, watching as Bill slowly, but surely lowered his arms and hugged the small boy back. His lips tugged up, slowly making his familiar smile appear. “It’s okay buddy.”

The small boy looked up, seeing the man smile and slowly smiling himself. “Okay.”

”I’m okay.” Bill nodded lightly, ruffling the boy’s hair. Stan was smiling as well, the two being adorable together. And the way Oliver could get along so easily with the man, it seemed, was only something to add. But it was only good, that Oliver could get along with their travel guide.

“Daddy, why you staring?” Aries mumbled, tugging on her dad’s arm and pouting at him. He had been looking the guy’s way ever since she had come to get a small snack and it was now annoying her. She then looked at the three in the water as well, trying to see what was so interesting, before looking back at her dad. Her eyes narrowed then, right before she gasped. “Like mister Stan?!”

Richie’s eyes widened lightly at the words that came from his daughter, looking down at her in slight confusion. “What? No, no. I don’t like Stan.”

”Oh.” Aries mumbled, seeming somewhat convinced but not completely. She then tried the next, her eyes still a little narrowed. “Like mister Bill?”

“No, not at all. I mean, he’s nice just like Stan. Both are nice. But not that way.” Richie almost rambled, mentally cursing himself for getting so flustered about this all. He felt like a teenage boy trying to hide his secret porn stash from his parents or something. Not that he would say that out loud, because hello, kids near.

”Not like like Dad?” Aries asked to clarify, tilting her head a little. Richie sighed quietly but nodded. “Yeah, like that, baby.”

Aries hummed, nodding a little now she understand. Or thought anyway. Her head then turned around as she looked for something to do, wanting to have some fun with her dad and maybe Oliver and the others as well if they wanted. She spotted a few slides, nothing special, but it did give her the idea. And once she proposed it to Richie, he was more than glad to agree, liking the idea of distraction.

“Want slide!”

All three turned to face the black haired girl with green tips as she stood at the side, waving at them. Oliver shrieked at the idea, grinning widely and nodding, looking up at Bill. “Come?”

”I-“ Bill tried to protest again, but the face worked on him as well, making him sigh. “Okay, okay. I’ll come.”

Oliver grinned, taking the man’s hand and turning to his dad, holding out a hand. “Come Daddy?”

Stan chuckled, knowing there was no use to protest, taking the boy’s hand and letting the boy pull them to the side to get out. He looked at Bill, grinning. “Hard to say no to his puppy face, huh?”

Bill huffed. “Definitely. How do you do it?”

”Most times I don’t.” Stan said with a sheepish grin, shrugging lightly. They then reached the side, Oliver climbing out first and the two men following. Stan went over to Richie, purposely shaking his hair out near the curly green haired man, chuckling as it got a whiny response from him. “Asshole.”

“Hey, no swearing near my kid.” Stan mumbled, narrowing his eyes at Richie. The man huffed, narrowing his eyes as well. “Then don’t get me wet like that.”

Stan huffed in response, throwing out the first comment that came up and oh my, why even? “What, want me to get you wet differently?”

Richie choked on air, pushing his hair from his face and looking at the younger male with wide eyes and parted lips. Stan was pretty shocked by his own words, but he couldn’t help but laugh at the way Richie was looking at him. It was just too funny.

”And then you complain about me.” Richie mumbled the second he was back to earth, getting up and making sure he didn’t leave anything valuable before following the others. He took Aries hand, smiling down at the little girl before moving his eyes back up and being met with Stan’s back. And really, he couldn’t help it when he took it in, along with the man’s butt because just damn.

“That one!” Aries yelled excitedly, before pulling her dad past the other three and to a big slide a little further. They all went into the tower like building and up the stairs, the adults making sure the kids held onto the railing and wouldn’t slip on the wet stairs.

Once up, they found the small boats that took them down the slide, taking in how they could go three people in one. They put the boats down, Aries immediately yelling out how she wanted to be in the same boat as Oliver. The boy nodded, before letting go of his dad’s hand and moving it to Bill’s hand, that he had already been holding with his other hand. “Also mister Bill.”

Stan pouted at the boy, but he simply grinned at his dad, who then rolled his eyes playfully. “Okay, fine. As long as you promise to be safe and listen to him, agree?”

Oliver nodded, a serious look on his face. Aries nodded as well, even if Stan wasn’t necessarily talking to her, making Richie sigh. “No way that I can convince her now.”

Stan chuckled, patting Richie’s shoulder. “Let’s go. I bet we can get down the slide faster than them.”

Oliver heard, which was Stan’s purpose, looking at his dad with a determined look. He huffed and looked at Bill and Aries. “We win!”

“Alright.” Richie chuckled, moving his and Stan’s boat so they could get in and move down the slide soon. Bill took notice and did the same, making the kids shriek for him to hurry, that they needed to win. The three adults chuckled at how competitive the kids were, but all made sure to sit in the boat well, before waiting for the worker’s sign that they could press the button and go.

The second they did, both Richie and Bill pressed the right button, making a small platform move up and the boat move forward slowly, before it touched the slide and went down. The kids shrieked, Oliver leaning back against Bill while gripping the sides tightly and Aries leaning back against Oliver while doing the same.

Stan laughed at the sound, looking over shortly before making sure he still held onto the sides, feeling arms wrap around his waist as the boat slid down quickly, making the wind blow through his hair. A face moved into his neck, eyes shut and jaw clenched, making Stan laugh even more knowing how Richie had shrieked and was probably not great with these kind of things. But he leaned back against Richie a little, still laughing and enjoying the slide with his son’s happy squealing in the background.

This vacation was definitely a good one.


	11. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten** _

It was already the seventh day of the trip and even if Stan loved spending time with his son, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of a night out with only adults. It would be a nice change and that way he could also see some of the night life of the island, which sounded interesting so far.

The night was completely planned out, babysitters taken care of and kids a bit sad and insecure, but eventually, it brought Stan to the taxi he was in with Richie. The two had become pretty close in those seven days and Stan considered Richie a friend already. Which obviously was a good thing, considering their kids were basically best friends.

”The babysitter knows what to do, right?” Richie mumbled, giving Stan a slightly worried look. The younger male chuckled, patting his shoulder. “They are the best, the hotel has said. Plus, they’ve been employed for a long time already, they know what to do.”

Richie nodded, sighing quietly. “I’m glad they could both stay in your room. At least Aries has someone with her that way.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want Oliver to be alone anyway.” Stan shrugged lightly, but smiled widely at the other man. Richie nodded again, slowly smiling. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper night out.”

”Has it?”

”Yeah, I mean, ever since Eddie and I got Aries, it’s been all about her. And add up work, minus sleep and all that other stuff that’s necessary, that ends up as no time for going out.” Richie explained, ruffling his dyed hair. Stan hummed, seeing the truth in that and knowing how he himself was in a similar situation. Heck, he had been a single parent from the start, almost, so he had even less time, he figured.

“But, either way, with neither to worry about, I can let loose a little.” Richie decided out loud, watching as the taxi slowly came to a stop. He then got out, holding the door open for Stan, who thanked him when climbing out. He then took out some money and handed it to the driver, telling him to keep the change and turning to Stan. “Right?”

”Sure, go ahead. I’ll make sure you get home.” Stan said with a chuckle. Richie hummed, but wrapped an arm around Stan’s shoulder to pull him closer as they walked to the club. “You gotta let loose too though. There are no worries here.”

Stan shrugged, taking in that Richie smelled nice. It may have been a bit of an odd observation, but since he was so close to the man now, he couldn’t help but take in the scent. There was a hint of cologne, but nothing obvious and overpowering in a bad way. That mixed with his soft sweet scented hair shampoo almost made Stan want to cuddle the man for the rest of the night, instead of going to this club.

”So, first drink is on me. Tell me what you want.” Richie said loudly with a big grin on his face, the second they entered the club with booming music. It was good dance music though, making a lot of people move to the dance floor and dance.

”I think I’ll go for whatever the island’s speciality is. Usually those things are good.” Stan answered, just as loud. Richie nodded, signaling he had heard, before pulling Stan over to the bar. The dark haired male watched as Richie ordered for them, putting some money on the bar and watching the bartender with interest as he started on their drinks. It amused Stan how Richie could be interested in something so easily, even if it was something simple, almost as if he saw something special in everything. And maybe he did, who was Stan to know?

“Damn, good choice there.” Richie told Stan the second the two drinks got pushed their way. He thanked the bartender and told him to keep the change, much like the taxi driver. It made Stan wonder how he got all that money seeing as Richie had also paid for the dye job of his own and Oliver’s hair. He appreciated it, of course he did, but he could pay things for himself too, right? He decided to leave it for a bit though and took one of the drinks, smiling as he took it in. “It looks great.”

”On to....what shall we toast for?”

”Felicidad.” The bartender butted in, winking before being off to another customer. Richie looked confused and Stan smiled again, nodding. “Let’s do that.”

“What does it mean?” Richie questioned curiously, his glass still raised. Stan chuckled raising his glass as well. “Happiness. Let’s toast for happiness, not only during this vacation, but also after.”

”Happiness during and after.” Richie agreed, the two letting their glasses touch, before taking a sip. Both hummed at the taste, quick to down the whole drink afterwards and letting the alcohol burn somewhat in their throat. “That was good, I want another one of that.”

Stan chuckled, agreeing and this time being the one that put enough money on the bar. He told the bartender which drinks they wanted and then turned back to Richie with a grin as they were made. The older male whined, pouting a little. “I wanted to pay.”

“You paid for a lot of things already.” Stan protested, watching the bartender push them their drinks and take the money. Richie sighed but took the drink as Stan took his own, both holding up the glass shortly before throwing them back.

Richie nodded at the taste, grinning widely. “It’s good. And I don’t mind paying, really.”

”Still.” Stan shrugged a little, putting his empty glass down and running a hand through his hair. It was pretty warm in the club he noticed now, but he was happy he was just wearing a tank top. It wasn’t cold outside anyway, considering they were on a tropical island and they only had a five minute drive back to the hotel with the taxi.

“Let’s dance.” Richie proposed, moving from the bar and taking Stan’s wrist before pulling him to the dance floor. He hadn’t even waited for Stan to agree, he had just decided to take him and pull him right between all the dancing people.

The dark haired male chuckled, shaking his head a little and ending up against Richie’s chest, pushing himself back just a little and awkwardly standing there for a moment. Richie started dancing a bit weirdly, Stan had to say and Stan started laughing a little, but it broke the ice and soon both were dancing in the crowd.

Most of the dancing passed in a blur, the alcohol hitting hard and making the two sway together and giggle like crazy. At one point Richie had disappeared and Stan was dancing a bit on his own, giggling as a woman tried to dance with him. She seemed to get bored of him soon enough though, moving on and revealing a certain color of light blue eyes that Stan recognized easily, even slightly drunk as he was now.

”Hey Bill!” Stan greeted the travel guide happily, making said person turn around and smile widely at the dark haired male. “Stan!”

”How’s it?” Stan asked loudly, making sure the other heard him over the music. Bill let out his giggle like laugh which Stan found to love in that very moment. Bill moved a little closer to Stan so he could lean in and speak in Stan’s ear. “Good, how about you?”

”Very! Good drinks.”

”Tried out their island’s special, I assume?” Bill smiled widely, making Stan’s eyes flicker from dimple to dimple, before back up to the travel guide’s eyes. He nodded, smiling just as wide. “Amazing.”

“It’s really good indeed, but be careful, gets you drunk easily.” Bill said in a slightly playful tone. But Stan waved him off, chuckling. “I can handle my booze.”

Bill nodded, moving his body from side to side a little on the music. He then looked around shortly, before letting his eyes find Stan again, who was still smiling at him. It made the travel guide shift on his feet a little, but he knew it was just Stan letting loose and having fun. “I’m going to get something to drink, you good?”

Stan nodded, still dancing happily and watching the travel guide go off. For some reason, Stan found it hard to keep his eyes off the blue eyed man, even sneaking a peek at his butt when he walked away. His eyes snapped back towards the DJ the second he couldn’t see Bill anymore, soon being surprised by a dark green haired male stumbling into his side. “Stannn!”

”Richieee.” Stan dragged out playfully, chuckling at the way Richie was swaying a little though not because he was dancing. “This hot woman got me another drink! But I told her-“ Richie cut himself off with a giggle like laugh, “told her I’m more into dicks.”

Stan laughed along with Richie, but the man held up his finger as if Stan had to wait, before continuing with a light giggle in his words. “Then said I bet she was nice, I mean I like woman too,” he spoke, taking some time to giggle as if it was the funniest thing in the world, “and she said I was cute and deserved another drink!”

Richie then held up a glass, which was still filled almost all the way. “But I already had one, so I took it for you! Sharing is caring, Stan. Good words.”

”That’s nice of you.” Stan spoke with a smile, taking the glass Richie held out to him and gladly downing the drink. It was some kind of cocktail, but a bit more spicy. It made him cough a little at the burning in his throat, but then he happily kissed Richie’s cheek. “Thanks!”

“Gotta dump the glass yourself, though.” Richie said with a giggle, waving at Stan as the dark haired male moved to the bar, because he was that nice. He put it on the bar once he reached it, turning around and funnily enough bumping into Bill. “Hey!”

Bill smiled widely again, letting out a short and soft laugh. “Hey.”

”They have really good drinks.” Stan said with a nod. Bill hummed, agreeing even though he already knew it. Stan then got a mischievous look as he spoke again. “And good looking guests.”

Bill’s eyes widened the second he knew what Stan meant by that, trying to splutter out something. He wasn’t even sure what to say, but he did know not to let it get to him too much, because after all, Stan was a guest. Stan didn’t give the man much time to think though, before leaning forward and pecking Bill’s lips. It shocked Bill even more and his lips parted as he tried to get himself together. He had to stop this and handle it right, but the slight alcohol in his system was making it harder to collect himself and act.

“Definitely gotta do that again sometime.” Stan told himself with a slight nod, giggling lightly and moving closer to Bill, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist and pulling him into a hug. Bill was still as shocked as before but found it in himself to wrap his arms around Stan, not sure what else to do. He knew he was supposed to be responsible and such, but he couldn’t help but let loose a little on evenings like these.

”Thanks.” Stan mumbled, kissing Bill’s cheek before being off to the dancing crowd again and leaving Bill stunned at the bar.

After that, Stan had even more energy than before, moving himself through the dancing crowd, while dancing of course. His energy combined with the alcohol made him a bit like a hyper kid, but nobody could really blame him. He hadn’t had a proper night out since he had gotten Oliver on his doorstep and now he finally had it, it felt like he was eighteen again, all young and energetic. Ready for about anything such a night would bring. 

“Stan, hey, hello.” Richie almost slurred the second he spotted Stan, grinning widely and moving close to the dark haired male, wrapping his arms around Stan’s neck and shoulders. Stan returned the grin, wrapping his arms around Richie’s waist and dancing with the man. Richie kept grinning, obviously happy with the situation, before leaning forward so he could speak almost directly into Stan’s ear. “ I don’t know what you think of me.”

Stan furrowed his eyebrows lightly, waiting for Richie to explain and letting his jaw drop as the man continued lowly: “But I hope it’s dirty.”

In that moment, Stan was a bit in Bill’s place but unlike just now, Stan actually responded to it. It was more a drunken response and definitely one that was an ‘in the moment’ response, but he couldn’t stop himself.

As Richie pulled back a little, Stan moved his hands up and pulled Richie’s face to his, kissing the curly haired male. Richie may have squeaked softly in surprise, but he was quick to kiss back, moving his own hands to Stan’s waist and pulling the other against himself, both pulling back a little breathlessly at the way they rubbed together. “Shit.”

Stan chuckled at the response, only to be cut off by Richie’s lips, them kissing a bit sloppily again. Richie moved his hands to Stan’s ass, keeping Stan close as he started moving his hips slowly, grinding on Stan. It made the dark haired male moan quietly into their kiss, the soft sound lost in the fast moving lips.

“I need you.” Richie spoke almost breathlessly the second he pulled back, taking Stan’s wrist and pulling the other dad from the crowd and towards the exit of the club. Both were eager to continue what they had been doing, but Stan liked the idea of a room, just them and a bed. “Yours or mine?”

”Yours, kids are at mine.” Stan breathed out the second they exited the club, before he was pressed against a wall and he was back to kissing Richie. He loved the way their lips would move so well together, but he managed to put his hands on Richie’s chest, pushing him away lightly. It earned a whine from the other male, but he mumbled out a quick ‘taxi’ before pecking Richie’s lips and taking the older one to the road, flagging down a taxi.

”You better let me pay, or I’m making sure you can’t walk tomorrow.” Richie grumbled, making Stan gasp at the idea of being fucked that hard. Because honestly? Yeah, he was so willing to let Richie fuck him right now and shit, _good job Stan, making yourself even harder._

The two stumbled into the taxi, Stan managing to tell the driver their hotel before his lips were occupied with Richie’s again. The curly haired male smirked into the kiss, trying to move around and soon pulling Stan onto his lap. Stan had his hands on Richie’s face, holding him close as he kept kissing him, both not caring much for air and only focused on kissing and the idea of what would go down once in the hotel room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunk Stan is flirty Stan  
> Also Stan and Richie hooking up?! :0


	12. Chapter 11

_**Chapter Eleven** _

Stan let out a soft groan the second he felt himself awaken, a slight pounding in his head. He knew why it was there. He had expected it to be honest, but it didn’t mean he liked it obviously. He remembered why he always told himself to stop drinking so much, because he hated the hangovers. And he was scared of doing something stupid and forgetting, but the hangovers beat that honestly. Forgetting against a pounding headache? For him the latter definitely won the title of ‘worst.’

The next thing Stan noticed, after his pounding head, was that it was slightly cold on his chest, which was bare and not covered by any covers. He moved his hands up to rub at his eyes, trying to get them to open and take in what was going on exactly, maybe even find the covers and get himself warm again. He knew he had gone out with the only parents thing, but most was a blur.

It took him some rubbing and stretching and smacking of his dry mouth, but he fluttered his eyes open, a little confused at the different ceiling. The ceiling in this hotel room was a nice white and this one was a soft white with a light purple tint to it. He then looked around more, seeing purple and white walls, which also definitely weren’t like the soft beige and nice red colored ones in his hotel room. Stan then decided to sit up and rub his eyes once more, taking in everything else and letting his eyes widen as they fell onto the bed. Specifically onto the spot next to him, on the bed.

Right beside him was the bare back of a pale male, his dark green curly hair betraying that it was in fact Richie. The covers came up to half his hips, revealing he wasn’t wearing any underwear and oh god Stan wasn’t either he then realized. He pulled the covers up to cover himself a little more, eyes still wide as he tried to think back to last night, wanting to remember what happened exactly.

No memories came to mind, but judging from his slightly swollen lips and dull pain in his lower back, Stan didn’t need a memory to know what happened. He felt terrible, not only because of the hangover but also because of the thought, before remembering them going to Richie’s room meant having left the kids alone all night. And yeah, if anything made Stan feel terrible even more than just now, it was that. He had left his son alone, because he had gotten drunk and gotten sexual with someone. Way to be a responsible parent.

“Richie.” Stan tried, grimacing at the way his voice sounded, all hoarse. “Richie.”

The curly haired male grumbled, stirring and slowly turning around, making Stan pull up the covers on his side more just in case. Even if they had done anything last night, he didn’t want to see anything right now. It was too early in his mind and he was way too worried about the kids. “Richie.”

”What?” Came a low and just as hoarse response, making Stan clear his throat a little before licking his lips. Richie brought a hand up to his face, rubbing at it and his eyes as if to wake up. It revealed the tattoo on his left upper arm, which Stan would love to take in once again, but nope, still worried. “We left the kids alone all night.”

It was quiet for a moment, Richie remaining in the same position—his hand on his face, basically-before he dropped it and let his tired but wide eyes meet Stan. “What?”

Stan nodded slowly, before closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. “I’m so terrible.”

Richie huffed lightly, shaking his head and sitting up, letting his feet hit the floor. He groaned at the headache, but bend down to grab some underwear and got up to pull it on before facing Richie. “Your room, right?”

Stan blinked a few times before he realized what Richie was doing, nodding quickly and looking around for his own underwear. Richie started to pick up his clothes and cake across the younger’s underwear, tossing it his way before dressing himself in last night’s clothing. He didn’t care much about appearance in that moment, more worried about his kid, just like Stan.

Both were quick to leave the room—Stan making sure Richie took his card for the room and move along the hallway to the stairs, going up a floor and then quick to reach Stan’s room. The dark haired male opened the door quickly and entered just as, Richie hot on his heels.

Stan stopped the second he had full sight of the room, sighing in relief as both Oliver and Aries were sat on the bed, watching television with the babysitter on the chair, reading a book. Their heads snapped towards the two adults, both kids squealing ‘Daddy!’ and leaping off the bed to hug their dad’s. Stan kneeled in front of Oliver, happily wrapping his arms around the small boy and kissing his head, mumbling ‘sorry’s’ and holding him tight. Richie simply picked up his little girl, kissing her cheek a few times and hugging her close, smiling a little.

“Daddy, stinky.” Aries mumbled, making Oliver giggle and hum. “Daddy too.”

Richie huffed lightly, but still smiled. “I know. I just really wanted to see you again. Daddy’ll go clean up when we get back to our room, yes?”

”Yes.” Aries agreed, nodding her little head and then looking back at Oliver, waving. “See later Ollie.”

“Bye-bye Ari!” Oliver giggled happily, waving. Richie moved to the babysitter first though, thanking her and apologizing for both for never returning last night. The babysitter waved it off and bid her goodbye’s, before leaving the room.

“I’ll make sure it’s on my bill.” Richie mumbled, moving back to face Stan. The dark haired dad got up again, a hand in his son’s hair as he nodded lightly. “Thanks. I’ll share it if you want it?”

“It’s fine, really.” Richie declined, giving Stan a small smile. They both felt a bit awkward about what had obviously happened the night before, not really having such an interest in each other. Apparently there was a sexual attraction, yes, but other than that not really.

”I’ll see you in the bus, yeah? We should talk too.” Richie eventually said, after a little silence. Stan agreed and then let Richie out, closing the door and sighing deeply once it had fallen shut. “Daddy go un-stinky now?”

Stan chuckled tiredly, but nodded. “I’ll go un-stinky myself bub, don’t worry. Will you be good and watch some more television?”

Oliver nodded, before running back to the bed and climbing on it, almost immediately entranced by the television. Stan sighed quietly in relief, before going to get some clean clothes and taking up the bathroom. He made sure to take a good, slightly long shower, washing the smell of the club and sex off him before drying himself and slipping into the comfortable and clean clothes.

Stan threw his dirty clothes in the special bag he used to separate the dirty ones from the clean ones once finished. It was something he had picked up on when he always went anyway somewhere with his family. Even though they didn’t go for long times, they still needed to keep dirty and clean separated during the trip.

“Had fun?” Oliver asked his dad, no longer watching the television, but now his dad, lying on his stomach on the bed and keeping his head up with his hands. Stan turned to the small boy, closing the suitcase and making sure it was securely closed before joining the boy on the bed. “Yeah, it was nice. Did you have a good evening with Aries?”

Oliver nodded excitedly, grinning big. “Watch Bolt with sitter about doggy. Stay up late.”

Stan hummed, while Oliver giggled about having stayed up late. He normally had a standard bedtime, even here on vacation and he had gone way past it with Aries. But, his dad didn’t mind much since after all, it was a time of freedom, not strict rules. “Really now?”

”Yes.” Oliver confirmed, watching his dad try and get comfortable next to him. “Much energy. Mister Bill laugh.”

Stan blinked at the small boy in confusion, vaguely remembering the travel guide had been at the club. He wasn’t sure how Oliver had gotten Bill to laugh, hoping the man hadn’t come around for anything all too important. After all, it had been a free night for him as well, from what Stan knew. “Mister Bill?”

“Yes! Mister Bill sleep on the floor.” Oliver told his dad happily, pointing to the floor. It made Stan blink in confusion once again, obviously not getting the story. Because really, why in the world would Bill, their travel guide, end up sleeping on the floor, here? “He did?”

Oliver hummed, nodding his head. “Sitter said no dad and not phone, so call mister Bill.”

Stan grimaced lightly at the idea of his and Richie’s antics having to burden Bill. It must have ruined his good night off, two drunken parents having gone off and not picking up their phones. And then to top it off, he had to sleep on the floor even. “So, he then spend the night, looking after you and Aries, hm?”

”Yes sitter said okay to stay too even if not al-ow-ed? Hard word. But mister Bill said could stay.” Oliver explained, smiling proudly as he had pronounced the word like he remembered it. He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he was still proud. Stan smiled a little as well as his son did, before being back to thinking about Bill. If only he hadn’t been so busy with Richie, he could have picked up his phone and had saved Bill from spending the night on a floor. Which must have been uncomfortable for sure.

“Alright, well, I’ll have to thank him then. For looking after you two so good.” Stan mumbled, trying to piece the previous night together. He remembered going to the club with Richie, toasting for happiness and dancing. Most was a blur and all he remembered after the dancing was seeing Bill at the club. Which was how he knew the travel guide had been there.

Racking his brain for anything else, Stan kept staring at the wall. It amused Oliver, but the small boy kept quiet, turning back to the television and watching the end of the series that had been on. Stan pouted a little at how everything was blurry and how his head was hurting, but he kept trying, replaying the things he remembered more clearly like a movie he loved. He used to do that all the time when he forgot things after a night of partying, hoping it would work this time just like it did then.

With a soft gasp, Stan suddenly remembered getting the drink from Richie and going to the bar to put away the glass. He found Bill there again, the memory blurry but it wasn’t hard to figure out what he had done. And oh shit, this was awkward. He had kissed their travel guide! And the poor guy then had to sleep on his hotel room floor, because he had gotten distracted by Richie.

Then again, he had to admit that it was some great sex last night and he definitely had a slight sexual attraction to Richie, but it was just mostly awkward now. Richie was the dad of his son’s best friend. _Way to pick them, Stan._ But, then again, Richie had been in this too and he hadn’t complained at all. Especially not from what Stan now remembered.

But either way, he had kissed Bill and then had sex with Richie. How much more awkward could this vacation get now?


	13. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve** _

After remembering the night out completely, having moved to the other side of the island with the whole group and taking a nice rest in the new bed to soothe his headache, Stan decided it was about time to talk with Richie. He wanted to clear the apparent awkwardness between them, mostly for the sake of Oliver and Aries, knowing the two were basically joined by the hip now especially after they had been together all night when he and Richie had gone out.

So, after having the meeting about the excursion options on this side of the island and making a choice with Oliver which sounded interesting and which didn’t—which also meant registering by Bill, which was rather awkward, they moved back to their room to go get their swimming gear. There was a pool at the back of the very much apartment-like hotel and they were right at the coast, so the sea could always be jumped in as well. But, Stan had first convinced Richie to let Aries join Oliver in the pool so they could take their time and talk while the kids were distracted. Just like Richie had said they needed to do, even if he had been the one to avoid it most times.

“Swim?” Oliver asked excitedly, the second he saw his dad pull out their towels and swimming trunks. Stan smiled at the boy’s excitement, nodding. “Yeah, with Aries. Is that alright?”

Oliver nodded quickly, grimacing wide. “Yes! Love with Ari. Ari nice.”

Stan chuckled, before handing Oliver his blue trunks. “Go put them on then bub. Don’t pull off your shirt and bring back your shorts.”

The small boy let out a quick ‘okay’ before disappearing into the bathroom and doing as his dad had told him to. It made Stan remember the times he still needed to dress the small boy, having to struggle with getting something on his legs while he kicked them and giggled loudly. At that time it was quite the work, but Stan looked back at those kind of moments fondly now. Even if the small boy could be a pain in the ass at times, mostly not even on purpose, he loved him with all his heart.

“Done! Can swim now.” Oliver exclaimed, jumping out of the bathroom and holding out his shorts and small boxers to his dad. The dark haired male chuckled, putting the things in the bag with the towels, before going to change from his shorts to swimming trunks himself. He put his own stuff in the bag as well, before making sure he had everything and taking Oliver’s hand. The boy was still very much excited and skipped out of the room with his dad by his side.

”What doing here?” Oliver asked, tugging on his dad’s hand to get his attention. The dark haired male stepped into the elevator with his son, thinking back to the meeting briefly. “We’re going to the zoo and the light house.”

Oliver hummed, nodding. “Oh, yes. Is Ari too?”

”I’m not sure bub. You can ask her in a bit though.” Stan smiled down at the small boy, hearing the familiar ‘ping’ and getting out. Oliver smiled widely up at his dad, nodding. “Yes!”

Stan chuckled, keeping his attention on his son and thus, a few steps further, bumping into someone. Stan looked up immediately to see if the person needed to be caught, before his eyes widened at who he had run into. “Bill, hi.”

“Oh, um, h-hi, Stan.” Bill almost stuttered out, his cheeks getting a soft shade of pink over them as he gave Stan a sheepish smile. Oliver, oblivious to the awkwardness between the two adults, simply greeted the travel guide as excited as ever: “Hello mister Bill!”

”Hi Oliver, how are you?” Bill looked down at the boy, smiling fondly and making Stan smile as well. He forgot about the awkwardness completely, his heart fluttering a little at how Bill was so good with Oliver. And remembering the travel guide had even spend the night on a floor to ensure the safety of not only Oliver but also Aries, made Stan’s heart flutter a little longer than necessary.

“Go swim! Come too?” Oliver grinned widely, holding his free hand out for the travel guide. The man chuckled, smiling in an apologetic way. “I’m sorry buddy, I have to make sure everyone who wants to can go to the lighthouse tomorrow.”

”We go too!” Oliver spoke excitedly, still grinning up at the man. Bill’s smile changed to genuine and more happy, Stan taking in the way his lips were turned up perfectly and how dimples had appeared in his cheeks.

”That’s nice. Are you excited for it?” Bill responded, still smiling down at the boy. Oliver nodded, letting out a soft hum. “Yes! Said pretty. Like pretty. You come too?”

Bill ran a hand through his hair, strangely feeling the need to tell the boy ‘yes’, not wanting to disappoint him somehow. “I might, I’ll have to see how big the group is. Is that okay with you?”

”Okay.” Oliver mumbled, sounding a little disappointed. But then grinned again, taking the travel guide’s hand and tugging on it lightly. “Love if come.”

At those words, Bill smiled widely. He loved it when the kids liked to be around him, especially the kids he managed to get a soft spot for. And Oliver was definitely one of those from the moment he had been silly in the bus the very first time. Of course, Bill knew better than to let such a thing lead him when there were other kids around and he needed to decide things, but it couldn’t hurt in his free time and times like these. “I will see what I can do, buddy. Maybe see you tomorrow, yeah? I’m sure your dad wants to go swimming with you now.”

Stan’s cheeks got a light pink color the second he noticed Bill’s eyes on him, forcing a smile onto his face to hide his slight awkwardness. “It’s fine. I doubt Richie and Aries are out yet.”

“Always slow!” Oliver said with a giggle, nodding at the travel guide. Bill chuckled lightly, patting the boy’s head. “Go have fun. I will see you later, okay?”

“Okay.” Oliver nodded, waving at the man when he said his goodbye’s and then walked off. Oliver smiled up at his dad, pulling him along to the pool. “We swim!”

Stan chuckled lightly, still somehow a little caught up in his thoughts about Bill, but letting his son pull him along to the pool. He wasn’t sure why, but the blue eyed man suddenly took up his mind. Stan blamed it on the fact that he had just looked really good just now, even better than normally and he usually already looked really good. After all, that tank top showed off his muscular arms and maybe it was a weird thought, but Stan wanted to be held in those arms sometime.

The dark haired male shook his head, pushing the thoughts away and focusing on how his son was pulling him along so excitedly. He never knew why the boy loved swimming so much, considering he still couldn’t swim all that well. He was getting better, of course, but he still needed his dad a lot.

”Ari!” Oliver squealed excitedly as he spotted a certain girl, who waved excitedly at the two once she saw them. Her hair was up in a cute bun and she was wearing a very big shirt obviously one of Richie’s over her swimsuit, a towel between herself and her one arm. Oliver let go of his dad’s hand, rushing over to the girl and excitedly asking her if she was going to the lighthouse and zoo too.

Richie was quick to appear as well, approaching the three slowly, a towel in his hands as well. He pushed his sunglasses up and into his hair, nodding at Stan and then patting the girl’s head when reaching the kids. “How about the two of you come find a nice spot we can put our stuff and then go swim, yeah?”

The two kids nodded, before following the two adults around, talking about what animals the zoo could have. Stan and Richie simply looked for a pair of empty sun loungers, soon putting their stuff down on two and watching their kids in amusement when they tried to pull off their shirts quickly. Aries threw her dad’s shirt at her dad and toed off her flip-flops, before quickly going to the side of the pool. Oliver had a little more trouble, but soon handed his dad his shirt before following Aries.

“The difference between my kid and yours.” Richie spoke with a slight huff, shaking his head as he picked up the shirt from the ground. Stan chuckled, putting the small shirt in the bag and sitting down on the lounger. Richie did the same, moving his sunglasses off his head to run a hand though his hair before putting them back in and finally facing Stan. “So. We should talk, right?”

Stan nodded, turning to Richie and leaning his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together. “Definitely.”

”Right.” Richie mumbled, leaning his head back and looking at the inside of the parasol he was under before sighing. “Where do we start?”

”Well, just to get it clear, you’re a nice guy and all—“

”But not your type, just sex.” Richie interrupted, moving his eyes to Stan. The dark haired male nodded sheepishly, sighing then and moving his face into his hands. Richie took him in, sitting up and turning to him. “It’s okay though. To be honest, it’s the same for me.”

Stan looked up, taking Richie in to see if he was lying or not, only seeing the man look at him with a genuine comforting smile. “Yeah?”

Richie nodded, shrugging lightly. “I mean, I figured I couldn’t resist your body, you’re like a god. But it’s just that, just sexual. You’re a nice guy as well, really. But-“

Stan watched Richie bite his lip as he interrupted himself, his eyes moving to his daughter shortly, before being on the ground between the two. Stan finally realized what was going on, everything adding up and the rest of the sentence falling from his lips before he could even think about it. “But you still love your ex.”

Richie’s head shot up, his widened brown eyes meeting Stan’s. He then groaned, rubbing his face. “Fuck I knew it was obvious.”

“It’s okay though. It happens.” Stan tried, giving Richie a comforting look. The other male sighed, moving a hand to play with the edge of his swimming trunks. “Is it okay for me to ask how long it’s been?”

Richie shrugged a little, before sighing again. “Almost ten months. But honestly feels like yesterday.”

“I can imagine.” Stan mumbled, tilting his head a little. “Have you talked to him since? Like really talked? Not the part where he calls you to ask about Aries and her vitamins.”

Richie huffed, but then let out a small chuckle, smiling a little as he looked up at Stan. “No. I try to, at times, but I’m bad at it. Especially with him and especially now we’re—now we’re not together. It’s almost like I’m trying to get the courage to ask him out again.”

“Maybe that’s what you should do.” Stan proposed boldly, not sure if it was what they needed, but knowing they at least needed to sit down and talk properly. Just so Richie could find out if Eddie returned the feelings and was maybe willing to try again, or was really done with it. But judging from the many times Eddie had called, especially in the short span of the days they had been here, he doubted it was the latter.

”W-what?” Richie asked, very obviously shocked by Stan’s words. “I-I can’t just ask him out! We haven’t even properly talked and I don’t wanna do such a thing on a date. I mean, if I’m taking him out, I want to really make it a date. And a good one of course...”

Stan shook his head lightly at Richie’s rambling, watching the curly haired male slow down eventually and then look at Stan with a sheepish face. “I really am hung up on him.”

Stan chuckled. “Yes, you are. But it’s fine. You two just really need to talk it out, mostly for yourself. To know where you’re at. Whether you can stay hopeful like this or whether you should try and move on. Differently from how you tried now though.”

“I never really tried.” Richie mumbled, biting his lower lip. He then sighed, closing his eyes shortly. “I just denied it, I guess. Ignored it. I focused on my job and Aries, pretending that nothing had changed. That everything was still fine.”

The dark haired male nodded, leaning a little closer to take Richie’s hand. “It’s fine. Everyone has their own way to deal with things. But really, talk to him. In person preferably, but if that really makes you anxious, go for a phone talk first. Get it all straight for yourself.”

Richie smiled at Stan, squeezing his hand a little. “Thanks.”

”It’s no problem. That’s what friends are for, right?” Stan told the other male, who then smiled a little wider, nodding. He then smirked though, his eyes getting this certain glint that made Stan figure out what was going to be said before he had even said it. “And good sex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying the story  
> And we will be getting to Stan and Bill soon!


	14. Chapter 13

**Thirteen**  
  


“Oliver!” Stan called out, groaning as he tried to keep up with the boy. Oliver simply giggled still running up the stairs, all the way to the top of the lighthouse. It was a big building and definitely a high one, almost a bit like a control tower, like the ones you find on airports.

The dark haired boy was quick to reach the top of the tower and find a place to sit on the beaches in the room. The big light was on top of the room he was in now, the walls almost completely made out of glass so you could look over the whole island and the ocean. It was an amazing lighthouse, which was one of the reasons Oliver was so excited. The pretty view being another, since Oliver obviously loved pretty things.

Stan was pretty much out of breath the second he reached the top of the stairs as well, taking a minute to catch his breath again before looking at Oliver a little sternly. “You can’t just go off like that.”

”Sorry.” The boy apologized, smiling a little innocently. Stan huffed lightly, but then joined his son, shaking his head a little. “You’re lucky we were the first ones here.”

Oliver giggled, nodding and then looking out of the window behind him, taking in the ocean. It was calm today, only some soft waves hitting the rocks or the beach. It made the view absolutely beautiful and Stan could only imagine what it would look like with sunrise or sunset.

One by one, more of the group who had chosen this excursion joined on the top floor, soon everyone sitting on the benches and admiring the view, Bill and another person being the last to arrive. It had made Oliver happy when the travel guide had greeted them and even happier when the answer to his question(if the travel guide was joining) was a yes.’ Just like he had hoped.

“Buenos tardes, everyone. Welcome to the island’s lighthouse. Today we will be listening to the story of it, told by Mr. Alvarez, and then there is the opportunity to ask questions and look around. Be careful when you go onto the balcony and don’t forget to enjoy.” Bill told the group, who had fallen silent the second he had started talking.

The travel guide then told the man next to him, who was probably the Mr. Alvarez Bill had told them about, to go ahead and he took the spotlight while Bill went to sit down. Oliver was grinning widely and caught the man’s eyes, patting the empty spot next to him. And really, Bill couldn’t say no, soon sitting down next to the boy.

Oliver scooted a little closer to the blue eyed man, who chuckled when noticing, but kept his eyes on Mr. Alvarez, who started his story about the lighthouse.

At first, everyone was interested in the way the man told the story, his English laced with a Spanish accent and every word pronounced almost carefully. The story wasn’t all that bad and it was interesting, but mostly at the beginning. Most kids started to get restless the longer it went on, shifting in their seats or whispering with other kids if they got bored too.

Oliver was sitting between two grownups and Aries wasn’t here either, so he was left to entertain himself, not wanting to be rude and make his dad or Bill pay attention to him instead of the man who was telling the story. He also didn’t want to just get up and go outside to enjoy the view, knowing his dad would follow and thus he would still move his dad’s attention to himself and knowing it was rude towards the man.

So, Oliver kind of ended up staring at things. He had started with staring at the ocean, because he found that really pretty. He then moved his eyes around the room, taking it in again and taking in all the people. There was one boy, who seemed a little younger than himself, dressed in a Ninja Turtle onesie, which he found cool, if he was honest. The boy looked back at him, smiling and showing he was missing a tooth too, one more to the side though. It made Oliver smile as well, before he waved at the boy. The boy waved back, kicking his tiny legs back and forth.

Oliver wanted to go say hi, but the man was still talking, so he waited. He moved his eyes around again, them eventually landing on the man to his right. He took in his shirt, smiling at the palm tree on it, before moving his eyes over the man’s arms. They were pretty big just like his dad’s. He kind of wanted to reach out and trace patterns on the arm, but again, he didn’t want to distract him.

Next was Bill’s curly hair, which Oliver loved a lot. Just like he liked his dad with his curls and longer hair, he liked this man’s hair as well. It was lighter than his own and his dad’s, but again, he liked it.

Lastly, Oliver moved his eyes to the man’s face, taking it in from where he was sat almost curiously. From the way there was a light beard forming on his jaw and chin, to how his cheekbones seemed smooth and nice. How his blue eyes seemed really light from this angle and how his eyebrows suddenly moved up. It made Oliver wonder why, until he noticed the man’s face moving and his eyes met a pair of hazel ones.

The boy grinned widely, blushing lightly now he was caught, but still admiring how pretty he thought Bill was. He knew pretty wasn’t the right word for a man, but he wasn’t sure how else to say it and pretty described it well enough. He hoped to be like Bill, when he grew up, tall and always smiling. And pretty of course.

“What’s wrong?” Bill whispered to the small boy, making Stan flick his eyes to the two as well. Neither noticed, but he watched them still, interested in what was going on exactly.

Oliver giggled quietly, moving a hand up to poke the appearing dimple in Bill’s cheek. “Are pretty.”

Bill was taken aback by the comment, a light blush appearing on his cheeks as he took in the words. Stan smiled though, especially at the way Bill seemed all flustered and surprised by it. And even more when he started denying.

“No, I’m not. But thank you.” Bill spoke even quieter than before. He then ruffled the boy’s hair, smiling again. “You are way prettier though.”

Now it was Oliver’s turn to blush, his face getting redder than Bill’s even as he looked down. He took the man’s hand with both his hands, smiling a little before looking back up at him, still blushing. “Thank.”

“It’s alright, buddy.” Bill mumbled, letting the boy hold his hand and focus back on the man who was finally ending his story—when Oliver did too. Stan watched fondly, once again feeling his heart flutter and making his mind spin with the thoughts that revolved around Bill. He still wasn’t sure why they were there but he didn’t seem to be able to get them away.

“And that is how we are here today.” Mr. Alvarez finished, smiling at everyone when he got applauded. He then thanked everyone and told them it was okay to roam around or come ask him questions if wanted.

Oliver got up excitedly at that, looking at Bill first. “Come outside?”

The man chuckled, a little surprised by the boy’s question, but patting his small hands which were still holding his own. “I have to speak to Mr. Alvarez first, buddy. But I’ll come outside as soon as I can, yes?”

”Okay.” Oliver nodded, smiling up at the man and then letting go of his hand, before taking his dad’s and pulling him up and along. Stan chuckled, amused that Bill got asked and he just had to come along, but then again, he found it polite of Oliver to have asked. Himself, on the other hand, was his dad and used to this, so it was fine.

“View pretty!” Oliver told his dad happily, the second they were stood against the railing and looking out over the ocean. Stan hummed in agreement, leaning on it a little and watching. Oliver kept quiet after that, watching the ocean and only speaking again to greet Bill the second the man came outside. It made the man chuckle and Stan smile fondly again before it went quiet once again.

Oliver then turned around, seeing the same boy from before stand at the door, peeking out at the ocean almost carefully, making Oliver approach him. “Come look, is pretty!”

The boy moved his eyes to Oliver, them widening a little as he shook his head. “No, no.”

“Why no?” Oliver asked curiously, taking in the boy again. His hair was a soft brown, flat on his head and his fringe almost hiding his eyes which were a nice brown-ish color. They had flecks of green in them, mostly dark, but Oliver found them to be very pretty, just like Bill’s.

”Scawy.” The boy mumbled, clinging onto the door frame. Oliver looked back, realizing that the boy was maybe scared of being up High before turning back and holding out his hand. “Will protect. Safe.”

The boy took Oliver in, before looking at his hand, then slowly taking it and letting go of the door post. Oliver moved towards the railing a little, not too close yet, pulling the boy along. The smaller boy pressed himself to Oliver’s side the second the boy stopped, but he looked out over the ocean, mumbling. “Vewy pwetty.”

Oliver grinned widely, nodding and having his arm around the boy. Just in that moment Stan looked down, noticing Oliver was no longer next to him and immediately looking around, only to spot his son just a little away from him, with the boy. He smiled fondly, looking over at Bill the moment he heard the man let out a soft ‘aw’.

The travel guide noticed the eyes on himself, looking to the side and getting a light blush on his cheeks the second his eyes met Stan’s. It made Stan smile, before his eyes moved back to his son, who was excitedly talking to the small boy next to him. The boy nodded in return, sometimes answering or adding something.

“I have to admit, your son is one of the sweetest and most adorable kids I have ever had on a trip.” Bill told Stan, after a little bit of silence. It made Stan snap his eyes away from the two and towards the travel guide, who was leaning his way just a little to be heard more clearly. Because even if it was pretty calm, the sound of the water and the people was still heard and pretty loud.

Stan smiled, letting his eyes move back to Oliver briefly, before facing the travel guide again. “Thanks.”

”Is he always so well behaved?” Bill asked curiously, his eyes finally meeting Stan’s again. Stan noticed a light blush covering his cheeks again, making him wonder if it was because of what had happened a few nights ago in combination with the slight close proximity at the moment. Even if it had been a simple peck to the lips and cheek it was still pretty embarrassing, especially considering Bill was their travel guide. And since he had said he had to do it again, which Stan wasn’t really planning to do. Maybe if he had met Bill under other circumstances.

“Most of the times, yes. He mostly only acts up when he’s staying with my mom, while I’m at work.” Stan answered, chuckling slightly. Bill hummed, nodding lightly at the man’s answer. He wanted to ask about a lot of things, but knowing his place, he kept it with a question most parents loved telling about. “Does he have that from you?”

Stan smiled, taking in his son again, almost getting distracted while thinking about the things he had that remained Stan of Amira, before looking back at Bill. “Partially, I think. His mom was quite the rebel, but who knows. Maybe he’ll show that when he’s older.”

“Let’s hope not, for you of course.” Bill said in a slightly joking tone, both knowing it wasn’t really something they could control. Even if Stan would probably want to when that time would come. “Who knows.”

”Hunter?” A female voice asked, before a women stepped outside and sighed in relief as she spotted the small boy next to Oliver. Both Stan and Bill watched the woman who had blue hair, to mostly Stan’s surprise—kneel next to the boy. “Next time tell me when you go somewhere, yeah?”

The small boy—apparently named Hunter nodded, letting go of Oliver to hug the woman tightly. “Sowy Mama.”

”It’s alright now, baby. Who’s your friend here?” Oliver smiled when the attention was on him, waving a little at the woman, before politely holding out his hand. It surprised Stan a little, knowing how shy Oliver normally was around new people, but he kept watching with interest.

“Oliver.” The woman smiled, shaking the small hand. “You can call me Alexia. Were you and Hunter enjoying the view?”

Oliver nodded excitedly, grinning wide. “Show pretty, not scary.”

Hunter nodded at the other boy’s words, smiling at his mom. The woman smiled even wider at that, running her hand through her son’s hair. “Really now? That’s very brave of you baby.”

The small boy hummed, smiling still as he got a kiss on the cheek, before going to kiss Oliver’s cheek which of course made Oliver blush a bit while giggling softly. “Thawnk.”


	15. Chapter 14

_**Fourteen** _

It was another free day and Stan hadn’t really planned anything. He wasn’t sure if he should go see what Richie was up to or leave the man be. Even if Oliver would probably love to spend time with Aries again.

Not having any plans meant a pretty slow morning, even if both the Uris were awake early. They watched some TV, took a shower and got dressed, before Oliver came with the smart question; “was lighthouse mister Bill’s nice spot?”

And yeah, at first Stan had been pretty confused, before remembering when in the water park Bill had told them about a nice spot he had found here. Stan also remembered that Bill had told him he could show him and Oliver it, on a free day if they wanted. It seemed like a good idea, until Stan remembered that it was actually pretty awkward between him and Bill. But then again, they had acted quite normal around each other the day before at the light house. Eventually.

Stan had eventually told the boy that they would ask Bill the second they would see him if he wasn’t busy of course. Oliver had been excited from that moment on, even purposely looking around to see if he could spot Bill anywhere when they went to get breakfast. And of course it was just his luck that Bill was leaving the small hotel’s restaurant when they went in.

”Mister Bill!” Oliver greeted the man, grinning widely as the man smiled at him. “Oliver, Stan, good morning.”

”Good morning.” Oliver responded, before letting go of his dad’s hand to take one of Bill’s with both his own like he did often. “Have question!”

Bill seemed amused by the small boy’s excitement, but nodded. “Ask away.”

“Was lighthouse nice spot?” The boy was looking at the travel guide with slightly big eyes, curious to his answer. And of course both Bill and Stan suspected what was to come if the answer was ‘no’.

”Not really. It is a nice spot, of course, but not the one I meant.” Bill explained, nodding lightly. The boy ‘oh’ed, before asking the question like expected. “Can show?”

The travel guide seemed to hesitate, licking his lips as he looked at the boy. Stan could just read from his face that he was having an internal struggle, which probably was about how to say no to Oliver’s adorable face. Or so he figured, from the way Bill was probably still feeling awkward about the whole thing. Maybe he should clear that up with the travel guide later today, he decided. If Bill were to agree of course.

“Okay, okay. I will. But I think you two first need to eat.” Bill eventually agreed, moving a hand up to run it through his hair. “Let’s say, meet here in the lobby at noon?”

Both the Uris agreed and after a short goodbye, they went to have breakfast. Oliver was even more excited during it, not really able to eat properly and having Stan scold him. After a sheepish apology, Oliver managed to keep himself in check and finish breakfast, making Stan happier.

After all that, including them going back to the room for some stuff to take(like money, because Stan wasn’t sure if he would need it but just in case), they ended up in the lobby waiting for Bill.

Oliver was bouncing from excitement, making Stan wonder how he hadn’t gotten tired yet. But then again, Oliver’s energy was pretty crazy, letting him go through any day without a problem.

”Ready to go?”

Both moved their head to Bill, who appeared from the elevator with a smile, before they nodded. Oliver even added an excited ‘yes!’ which made Bill chuckle and Stan shook his head, though smile. “Okay, obviously ready. Let’s go then. It’s just a ten minute walk, by the way.”

The boy hummed, before moving to hold his dad’s hand and also taking Bill’s, happily walking between the two adults. Bill blushed a little at the sudden action, but he smiled widely when Oliver looked up at him. And once again, Stan felt his heart flutter.

On the way to the spot which Stan had no idea what to think of yet, except that it would most likely be nice indeed, trusting Bill with that—Oliver asked a lot of things about what they saw, making Bill explain and even point out things whenever he saw something Oliver hadn’t spotted.

After what Stan guessed were ten minutes, they approached a quieter part of the island where there was a more rocky scenery. They had walked down a lot, now kind of next to a high up rocky part, on a small but beautiful beach. It made Oliver look around with wide eyes, especially at the beautiful odd shaped rocks on the beach itself and a little further in the water.

“So pretty.” Oliver spike almost slowly, entranced by the beach and soon letting go of both the adults to run onto the beach and look at a rock on the beach, interested in how it has formed so oddly. Stan called out a quick ‘be careful!’, making Bill chuckle a little and Stan sigh as he kept his eyes on the boy. “Always the same.”

Bill watched fondly as Oliver felt the rock, a wide smile on his face. Stan noticed, trying to ignore the way once again it made his heart flutter. This time, it also made him smile, making him shake his head to try and think of other things. He couldn’t possibly develop a crush on their travel guide, out of all.

“Come!” Oliver called out, waving his arms at the two adults, grinning widely. Stan shook his head lightly, before going to jog Oliver’s way, Bill following slowly while taking the both in with a smile. Oliver kept grinning, taking his dad’s hand the second he could and putting it on the rock. It surprised Stan with how rough the texture was, having expected it to feel more smooth with how it looked. He looked down at his son with a smile, nodding lightly, somewhat impressed. “That’s really cool, Oliver.”

”Know right!” Oliver giggled, before taking Bill’s hand as he arrived. “Feel!”

Bill hummed, letting his hand touch the cool rock and nodding lightly. “How odd.”

The small boy nodded excitedly, before deciding to run off again, though this time to the water. He pulled off his shoes and threw them the adults way, grinning when it got him a look from Stan, before moving to get his feet in the water.

”Maybe I should take back what I said yesterday.” Bill said, in a slightly questioning way as he looked at Stan, smiling a little. The dark haired male looked back, thinking for a moment to remember what Bill had said, before chuckling and shrugging. “If I would’ve gotten mad he would have come back right away, don’t worry. He knows what he can do and what he can’t do.”

Bill hummed, nodding lightly. Stan then moved to collect the small shoes on the beach, before going to sit down in the sand and place them beside him. He looked up at where Bill was still standing at the rock, patting the sand on his other side. “Come on.”

The travel guide hesitated shortly, before moving over and sitting down next to Stan. Not too close though, moving his legs up a little and leaning his arms on his knees as he watched Oliver play in the water.

“I feel like we need to clear some awkwardness between us.” Stan finally spoke, gulping as he knew there was no escaping now. He kind of wanted to, but he knew it needed to be said. He needed to talk about this with Bill and preferably before the vacation ended and he would(most likely) never see Bill again, because he didn’t want to be left with that awkward feeling when thinking back to this vacation. Because honestly? Even if things had gotten a bit out of hand with Bill and Richie, he loved this vacation a whole lot.

As Stan looked at the travel guide, he was a little surprised to see him with slightly reddened cheeks. It seemed to happen a lot more and Stan actually really liked it, the blush on Bill’s cheeks. But he was a little confused why Bill seemed to be blushing now. “Um, y-yeah.”

“I first want to apologize for that night, it was really childish I guess. I’d say unprofessional but it’s a vacation.” Stan wanted to slap himself for sounding so stupid and not being able to form proper sentences that actually told Bill what he meant. But, the travel guide seemed to understand what he was trying to say anyway, smiling just a little and turning his head, meeting Stan’s eyes. “It’s alright, it happens. Alcohol makes people different.”

Stan smiled sheepishly, blushing just a little as he remembered what had happened that night after he had kissed Bill. Even if he and Richie had talked it out, he still felt somewhat embarrassed it had happened. Especially since Richie was his son’s best friend’s father. Which was pretty fucked up now Stan thought about it. “Still, I’m sorry.”

”Like I said, it’s alright. I’m happy you stayed normal about it.” Bill told the dark haired male, smiling just a little wider. Stan felt his heart flutter again at that smile and wait, hold on, this was happening an awful lot now. He knew it was mainly whenever Bill was being so nice to Oliver and all, but now, now he was just sitting here with him. Bill smiled and it happened again, which made Stan think that shit, okay, maybe he was definitely developing a crush on the travel guide.

“Yeah.” Stan mumbled, moving his eyes back to his son, who was splashing water around with his feet. Oliver seemed so happy, playing in the water all by himself, so energetic. It made Stan smile, not noticing how Bill was taking him in from right beside him, a fond smile on the travel guide’s face.

Oliver soon came running back, grinning widely and holding out his hands. “Come! Come play, please?”

Stan smiled, getting up, taking off his shoes and taking one of the boy’s hands, before looking at Bill. The man was looking at the boy before looking at Stan and then sighing, slowly taking off his shoes. He then jokingly let out while getting up: “okay, okay.”

Oliver squealed, happily taking one of the man’s hands and then pulling both adults to the water, soon letting all three their feet hit the slightly cold water. He then started jumping, splashing the water everywhere and making both adults let go of his hand to bring both of them up and shied themselves from the upcoming water. It made Oliver giggle loudly, continuing with his actions and happily splashing up water.

Stan eventually got enough of it in a playful way of course and picked up the boy, taking him by surprise. He then squealed loudly, before giggling again and trying to hit his dad’s arms. “Nooo! Let go.”

Bill watched with a grin, pretending to think for a moment. “You know, I think we should take our revenge, Stan.”

“Hm, that does sound like a good plan.” Stan answered teasingly, making Oliver gasp and his eyes widen. “No! No, no. Am sorry!”

”Oh? Do I hear something here?” Bill teased putting his hand behind his ear and looking around as if he was trying to figure out where it was coming from. It made Oliver stop struggling and pout, nodding. “Am sorry. Promise.”

Stan kissed the boy’s head, setting him down. “Okay, okay. Apology accepted.”

”Thank, daddy.” The boy mumbled, smiling up at his dad, before looking up at Bill. “Mister Bill too? Am sorry.”

Bill chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “It’s alright buddy. We were all just playing, hm?”

Oliver nodded, grinning widely and taking Bill’s hand in both of his own. It made the travel guide smile, right before his eyes widened a little as Oliver managed to pull him further into the water. To make it even worse, he stumbled and managed to fall into the water, drenching himself completely. Oliver gasped and hid his face in his hands, peeking through his fingers to see how the man sat up and blinked in surprise, before pushing some of his hair from his face.

Stan took everything in with wide eyes, before he started laughing loudly, very amused by the situation. It made Oliver giggle too before he ran away quickly, making sure the man couldn’t return the favor. Stan couldn’t help but laugh, even moving to lean on his knees with how hard he had been laughing. He didn’t even know why he kept laughing, but he couldn’t really stop it either.

That was, until Stan suddenly got pulled by the arm, stumbling and ending up in the water too. He spluttered as he sat up, catching his breath and pushing his now flat and wet hair from his eyes, looking up with wide eyes when he saw a grinning Bill standing there. The sun was right behind him, making Stan’s already wide eyes take him in quickly, noticing how his shirt clung to his body and revealed everything Stan had seen back at the water park. And god, did Stan realize he was fucked.

He definitely had a crush on their travel guide.


	16. Chapter 15

_**Fifteen** _

”Daddy, what do?” Oliver mumbled tiredly, looking at his dad. Stan turned on his side, taking in his son and thinking, before shrugging. “We can go on a walk?”

Oliver whined, scrunching up his nose. “Boring.”

Stan chuckled, before thinking about it some more, trying to think of things they hadn’t done yet. “We can always swim again?”

“Swim yesterday.” Oliver pointed out, making Stan remember when they went to the beautiful small beach. He also remembered what had happened with Bill and how he had realized he was definitely gone for the man with the bluest eyes. It sucked, but he couldn’t escape it anymore. He had a crush on someone quite out of reach.

“How about we go see if the reception has any suggestions. Is that an idea?” Stan proposed, remembering that most hotels had some brochures of things to do near the hotel. Oliver nodded, stretching and then happily getting up, no longer tired. He moved to pick up his bag, grinning widely at his dad. “Can take, yes?”

Stan smiled, going to get his own bag ready just so they could go wherever right away in case. And if they had really forgotten something, they could always go back anyway. “Ready then?”

Oliver hummed and took his dad’s hand, letting Stan lead him out of the room and to the elevator, before taking it down and walking into the lobby. The dark haired male moved to the stand right next to the reception, letting his eyes scan all the different brochures to try and find something they liked. “Hm, most of these are excursions we did or will do.”

The small boy looked around the lobby, not really that interested in watching his dad take in the brochures. Of course he wanted to do something that day, but he wasn’t really interested in hearing his dad mumble to himself and pick up different pieces of paper.

And of course Oliver spotted Bill the second he saw the man exit the elevator, grinning widely and waving with his free hand. “Mister Bill!”

The man turned his head when hearing his name, smiling when seeing Oliver. He approached the boy, making Oliver grin even wider and in turn making Bill chuckle. “Hey buddy.”

Stan turned his head in confusion, eyes widening a little as he spotted Bill squatting in front of Oliver. He bit the inside of his cheek, feeling them heat up a little at the travel guide’s presence, especially so close and especially after what he had realized yesterday.

“Oh, daddy!” Oliver perked up, grinning at his dad before looking back at Bill. “Mister Bill can tell what do!”

Bill hummed questioningly, before spotting the stand behind Stan and getting up. “Are you guys looking for something to do?”

“Oh, um, yeah.” Stan nodded, smiling a little sheepishly. Oliver hummed, nodding. “Yes. No swim, no zoo, no lighthouse.”

”Alright. Well, have you two checked out the mall on this side yet? It’s smaller, but very nice. They even have a Build-a-Bear there.” Bill proposed, smiling widely. Oliver gasped at that, having heard of the store before but never having been there. He then looked up at his dad, smiling widely. “Go! Please, please daddy?”

Stan couldn’t help but smile at the way Oliver smiled so widely at him, nodding. “Yeah, okay. We can totally do that.”

Bill smiled as Stan looked at him, nodding as well. “Enjoy then. I’ll send you two around.”

“Bye!” Oliver waved at Bill as the man walked off, seeming to go to the beach. Maybe the same spot as yesterday, Stan thought, before shaking it off. Did it matter? No. Well, Stan wanted to say yes because he kind of wanted to spend time with Bill, but he knew it was better this way. That way his crush couldn’t get in the way of him having fun with Oliver.

”Let’s go then, hm?”

The whole way to the mall—to which Stan had asked directions at the reception—Oliver had been excited. He skipped, he kept telling his dad he was excited and wanted a bear and he kept tugging on his dad’s arm. Stan didn’t really mind, happy his son was happy and gladly going to the Build-a-Bear with him the second they spotted the sign.

Oliver squealed as they walked in, looking around in amazement and quick to pull his dad over to the first part of the experience. There were multiple bears set up, each above a big bin with multiple outsides of the same bear. That way you could choose which you wanted before moving on to stuff it, which Oliver was very excited for already.

”Daddy, which nice?” Oliver mumbled, looking up at his dad with slightly big eyes. They were sparkling with excitement when Stan looked down at him, making him smile before looking back up. “I’m not sure, bub. You should choose one you like though.”

”Daddy make too!” Oliver then protested, grinning at his dad and pulling on his arm slightly. Stan bit his lower lip, but soon sighed, not able to do anything but give in. “Okay, okay. I’ll make one too.”

And the wide smile that was on the boy’s face from then on, gosh, Stan couldn’t be luckier.

The two looked at the different kinds of bears, feeling some of the fur to decide if it was soft enough, Oliver soon picking up a soft, light brown colored one. He held it up happily, telling his dad he had chosen. He kept looking around though, letting his dad decide as well.

“Oliver, ready to continue?” Stan asked the second he picked up the outside of a black colored bear, the fur soft to his fingers. Oliver happily skipped back to his dad, nodding, before holding up another outside, which was a little smaller than his own and a pure white color. “Make Mister Bill too? Said we go here and be nice and made vacation good?”

Stan felt his heart melt at the way Oliver wanted to make a bear for their travel guide too, once again like many times before—not able to say no. “Fine, but you have to make it, okay?”

Oliver nodded excitedly, grinning widely and then excitedly skipping past his dad to go to the next step. Stan shook his head lightly, following his son with a smile. He knew he shouldn’t let it get to him, but he kind of let his thoughts wonder. Because what would Bill think of it? Would he like it? Maybe he hated stuffed animals? But then again, why would he have known about this place if he did and why even bother proposing it? Especially with such a wide smile.

Stan had let his eyes fall on a small extra they could add, which was a heartbeat for the bear. He had shown Oliver and the boy had insisted all of the bears had it, which Stan didn’t mind at all. So, the woman put them it, made the two hug all bears to make sure they were stuffed well or if they needed more stuffing, before closing them up and handing them to the two.

Oliver was quick to run off and look at all the clothes, the two bears in his arms as he did. Stan followed, his own bear in his arms, soon ending up with three in his arms so Oliver could look at all the clothes better.

“Daddy!” The small boy almost shrieked before appearing with a Captain American costume for the bear. “This!”

Stan smiled widely, chuckling. “Definitely.”

The dad watched as Oliver put the costume on his own bear with a little trouble, soon hugging the now dressed bear to his chest. He moved around again, Stan following and looking at things for his own bear, not sure what to choose for it. After all, did he want to dress it like himself? Or maybe dress the bear like something crazy. Or a costume, just like Oliver, but then of something else, like Superman or something.

“Look, daddy.” Oliver giggled, pointing at a cute set to their right. Stan let Oliver pull him over, taking it in. It was an adorable set, the top being a soft blue hoodie with three monster-heads on it, the word “Squad” beneath it. Then to go with it was a patched pair of soft pants, in the colors grey and black. It reminded Stan a little bit of pajamas, but in a good way. “That’s really cute, bub.”

“Mister Bill?” Oliver looked up at Stan, as if to ask for permission. The man hummed, picking up the set and looking at it once again. “I think he’d like this, yeah.”

It made the small boy smile widely, before he handed his dad his own bear and took the set of clothing and the white bear, going to dress him. Stan chuckled lightly as he watched, never failing to be amazed by the boy’s excitement. He knew the boy was a big fan of Bill, he had made that clear pretty early on the vacation already. And it never went away.

”Look good.” Oliver said with a slight nod, having dressed the bear. He then held him up to his dad, peeking his head out beside the bear. “Shoes, yes? Or no?”

“I like it like this, don’t you?” Stan took the bear in, deciding that shoes might not really fit the picture. Oliver turned the bear around, holding it at arm’s length and taking it in, before nodding in agreement with his dad. “Yes, is good.”

Oliver handed the bear back to his dad, before taking back his own and hugging it close, smiling as that accidentally made the little heart beat. He then looked up at his dad’s bear, pointing at it. “Daddy bear clothes too.”

Stan looked down at his own bear, nodding. “Yeah, but I’m not sure what to choose.”

The boy took in the bear for a moment before turning around and going to look for clothes he liked for the bear. Stan kept looking around too, soon spotting a pair of black and white high top converses. Or well, the Build-a-Bear version of them, of course. He smiled as he picked them up, chuckling lightly at how adorably small they were and remembering when Oliver had these tiny little feet. Gods, those were adorable.

“Daddy.” Oliver giggled, moving back to his dad and holding up a hoodie. The hoodie was red with two white strings and in the middle the word “HUGS” in black letters, along with two holes in the hood for the bear’s ears. It made Stan chuckle, before nodding. “That’s cute.”

”Dress.” The small boy held out the hoodie to Stan, who took it before handing Oliver the white bear and finding a place to temporarily put the shoes on. He then pulled the hoodie on his bear, pushing the bear’s ears through the holes on the hood and soon adding the shoes, smiling at how it looked. “Tada.”

Oliver took the bear in, giggling lightly. “No pants?”

Stan took the bear in as well, before shrugging. “It’s hot here, he’s a bear anyway. Bears don’t need pants.”

“Okay.” Oliver giggled, nodding at his dad. “Go name now?”

The dark haired male nodded, putting his free hand on the boy’s back and carefully pushing him towards the computers. It was the last step before check out, making a ‘birth certificate’ for your bear and naming him or her.

Oliver excitedly sat behind one computer, letting his dad help him out and soon being stuck on having to name his bear. He had already easily pressed the button to decide it was a girl, which had slightly amused Stan but he let it be, before getting the question what the bear’s name would be. “Daddy?”

“What name do you like, bub?” Stan squatted next to Oliver, looking at the boy. He shrugged lightly, looking at his bear. “Pretty name.”

Stan smiled, playing with one of the ears of the bear, before looking at the outfit. “You could always name your bear Captain America? Or Cap?”

Oliver shook his head, pouting a little. Stan tried to think of something else, looking around the store a little as if it would help him with ideas. He then looked back at Oliver, tilting his head a little. “Why don’t you name your bear something you find pretty then? Like...”

”Like Aries?” Oliver giggled, smiling at his dad. Stan smiled in amusement, but shook his head. “Good idea, but then it would be confusing which Aries you’re talking about, right?”

Oliver hummed in agreement, before thinking. He suddenly gasped, eyes twinkling as he looked at his dad again. “Beach and ocean.”

The dark haired male nodded, trying to think of something, looking at the bear again. “Say, what color is the ocean?”

”Blue.” Oliver answered proudly, looking down at his bear too, gasping again. “Blue! Like Captain and ocean! Blue.”

“How about that?” Stan said with a light chuckle, taking in the boy. Oliver nodded excitedly, pointing at the screen. “Type Daddy.”

Stan typed in the bear’s name ‘Blue,’ before pressing the confirm button. The certificate got shown and then they got the message it got printed at the register, them soon moving on to the next bear, which was Bill’s. They went through everything quickly, deciding it was a boy and then having to think of a name again. Oliver already had one in mind though, smiling at his dad. “Marshmallow.”

With a look of confusion, Stan typed it in, finishing it off before starting his own and after deciding it was a boy, having trouble thinking of a name. “What do you think?”

Oliver bit his lip, looking at the bear and shrugging lightly. “What will do?”

”I’ll probably put him in my bed, just like you will.” Stan smiled, knowing he wasn’t lying. He liked the idea of having it near his bed at least, maybe even have it in his bed. It was a good memory after all and one he’d like to cherish.

The small boy hummed, nodding lightly before perking up and smiling wide at his dad. “Cuddles!”

“Cuddles.” Stan tried out, before nodding. “Yeah, I like that. Thanks bub.”

Oliver kept smiling widely as he watched his dad finish it off, before the two went to the register and Stan paid for the three bears. They decided to put Bill’s bear in a cute little house and Stan put his in a bag, while Oliver kept holding his. It had to be scanned of course, but next to that, he wouldn’t let it go.


	17. Chapter 16

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

It was a free day and Stan had again come across the trouble of finding something to do. He soon realized though, that if everyone had a free day, that meant Richie and Aries probably hadn’t planned anything either. Which he was pretty sure of, because he knew that Richie was pretty last minute with deciding what to do. Kind of like himself, on this vacation anyway.

And thus, after having breakfast, Stan had decided to text—yes, they had exchanged numbers—Richie and ask him what he and Aries were planning to do. He had gotten a message back pretty quickly that they planned to go to the beach again, since Aries had really wanted to go.

Of course the next question was if he and Oliver could possibly join and to Stan’s joy, he got a positive answer.

Oliver had been really excited to see Aries again, quick to get all their stuff together and even change from his shorts to his swimming trunks, just so he didn’t have to do that on the beach. Stan had been amused, but quick to do the same, before leaving the hotel with Oliver. The boy kept trying to pull his dad to walk faster, only stopping when he of course spotted Bill. “Mister Bill!”

The blue eyed man was quick to respond, obviously—once again—recognizing the voice. He approached the two and gave them a warm smile, waving slightly. “Buenos dias, Oliver, Stan.”

Stan nodded lightly, mumbling a ‘buenos dias’ in return as Oliver giggled. “No speak Spanish!”

“I said ‘good morning’.” Bill translated for the boy, chuckling along his words. Oliver let out a soft ‘oh’, nodding. “Cool! Can teach me Spanish?”

Bill smiled a little wider, nodding as well. “Of course. But maybe another time. It seems that you have planned some fun things with your dad, right?”

“Yes.” Oliver quickly responded, smiling wide. “Go to beach with Aries!”

“That sounds like a lot of fun. I’ll see you later, alright? I’ll teach you some words then.” Bill basically negotiated. Oliver hummed, before gasping. “Have present!”

Bill’s eyebrows rose at that, his face showing clear surprise. “Oh? For me?”

”Yes.” Oliver nodded, giggling a little. “Have for you. Because nice and know good things to do.”

Stan smiled a little as he saw Bill’s cheeks get redder, biting his lip to not smile too wide. He just couldn’t help it. The travel guide was just too adorable this way and even if he knew he should forget about the crush, he found it hard to.

“That’s really sweet.” Bill spoke, a little quieter than normally, before looking up at Stan. He got even redder when he saw the dark haired man smile, starting to shuffle with his feet a little even. Stan chuckled lightly, looking down at Oliver with a smile briefly. “It was his idea. But I agreed, for sure.”

And as if Bill hadn’t been red enough before, he definitely was now. It made Stan smile fondly, almost even cooing at how adorable the man was being. He knew adorable normally didn’t really fit with a man who was, what, somewhere halfway in his twenties? But in that moment, it really did either way.

“Well, thank you. That’s really sweet of you guys.” Bill smiled again, still speaking quietly and flushed a light red. It made Stan want to cuddle him and he had to really force himself to think of other things.

“Is okay.” Oliver giggled lightly. “When give, Daddy?”

Stan looked down, to see Oliver look up at him, blinking a few times to really hear the question. He then looked back up at Bill, almost stuttering. “Oh, eh, whenever it works, I guess?”

Bill smiled a little wider, noticing the dad being slightly distracted, waving his hand a little. “We have four more days.”

“Yeah, we do.” Stan agreed, before feeling the weight of those words. They only had four days left of vacation, before they would have to go home and back to their normal lives. Before he wouldn’t able to talk with Richie, like he hadn’t talked to anyone for a long time. Before he wouldn’t see Bill every day.

He felt stupid to be so hung up on Bill already, the crush obviously taking the turn for the worst, in his mind. Heck, he hadn’t even properly gotten to know the travel guide, nor anything that could really make him sure he liked him. It was just a stupid crush.

“Can give tomorrow? Before go to zoo?” Oliver proposed, making Stan snap out of his thoughts once again. He watched Bill nod before smiling even wider than before. “Sounds great. How about, when you two go for breakfast, you take it down? You two always go to eat when I am finished anyway. Sounds like a plan?”

Oliver hummed, smiling widely and nodding his head. “Okay!”

“That’s settled then. Now, go have fun with your dad, yeah?” Bill ruffled the boy’s hair before directing his smile to Stan and god, Stan wished he hadn’t done that. He loved the man’s smile way too much and it made his insides melt. Especially his heart.

“Yay!” Oliver cheered, before waving at Bill. “Bye mister Bill! See tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, buddy.” Bill spoke fondly before looking back at Stan, his cheeks reddening lightly again when seeing Stan was still looking at him. “Um, bye, Stan.”

Stan blinked a few times, before awkwardly nodding at the travel guide’s quiet words and mumbling his own goodbye. He then turned around and walked out of the hotel, Oliver by his side excitedly. The small boy started rambling about how excited he was to give Bill the bear and Stan kind of wished he would stop. But then again, he always loved it when Oliver rambled about things like this, all excited and smiley and he loved it now too. He just didn’t like the subject of the ramble. Not now anyway. 

Luckily for Stan, they were quick to arrive at the beach and were quick to spot the two they were supposed to meet, Oliver running at the girl as Stan slowly approached Richie. The curly haired male was chuckling when Stan reached him, his eyes on the two kids who were excitedly talking about what they had done in the time they hadn’t seen each other.

”So, had a good few days?” Richie asked the second Stan sat down on the sand beside him. Stan huffed out a breath, grinning a little as he looked at Richie. “Hello to you too.”

“Hi, hey, hello, hola.” Richie shot back, before crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at the dark haired male. “So, had a good few days?”

Stan shook his head lightly, shrugging and moving his eyes back to the kids. He kept his eyes on them, answering in a mumble. “Yeah.”

“I am so not convinced.” Richie responded, still looking at the other dad, who was still watching the kids. Stan didn’t really want to look back at Richie, expecting for Richie to know something’s busying Stan’s mind and then ask questions. After all, he had found out Richie wasn’t bothered to keep asking questions until it’s spilled, something Aries definitely inherited.

“Okay.” Stan shot back, before biting his lower lip. He knew that only gave away more of how he was bothered by something. And really, he knew he should just let it go. But he couldn’t somehow and he hated it. He hated to be so hung up on someone he couldn’t have anyway. After all, it’s not like he could have a happy ending with the travel guide.

“I can clearly see you’re bothered by something.” Richie noted, his pierced eyebrow raised as he moved his sunglasses up into his hair to let his brown eyes be revealed. Stan finally dared to look at him, making Richie frown slowly at how troubled the man looked. “What’s up? You don’t look too happy.”

Stan pursed his lips, staring right at Richie for a moment, before groaning quietly, letting his head fall down and his forehead lean on his knees. His arms were wrapped around his bend legs loosely, one hand holding the other wrist and eyes closed. “I feel stupid.”

”Why? I mean, I won’t judge. You know I won’t. I might make fun, because that’s my habit unfortunately. But you know you can tell me anything, right?” Richie almost rambled, stopping himself before he said too much. He didn’t want to scare Stan off after all, he just wanted to help him out.

The dark haired male sighed, letting his eyes flutter open, but keeping his view on the sand below. He spoke slowly, almost carefully, and quietly. Richie had to strain to actually hear what he said, still frowning. “I have a crush on our travel guide.”

It was silent for a bit, Richie letting the words sink in and Stan anxiously waiting for Richie’s reaction. He figured he would either laugh or tell him not to worry and that it would blow over. Or both, for all he knew.

”Okay.” Richie slowly started, the second he had properly thought it over. Stan bit his lower lip, awaiting further words in silence as he kept his eyes on the sand, still not daring to face Richie. “So. How do you plan to woo him in the last few days?”

Stan blinked, feeling confused and having to replay Richie’s words a few times before letting his head shoot up, eyes meeting Richie’s brown ones, which were almost shining from excitement. He blinked again and again and again, before slowly asking: “what?”

”Woo him? I-I just-I-what?” Stan stuttered out, eyes blown wide in surprise. Richie rolled his eyes this time, about to repeat his words once again, when Stan held out his hand to stop him. “Woo him. Are you serious?”

“Yeah.” Richie answered, shrugging lightly and sitting back, leaning on his hands as he looked at Stan as if they were having an everyday kind of conversation. But Stan didn’t agree, obviously, not having had ‘woo him’ in his options. He hadn’t even considered it so far!

So far.

Now Richie had brought the idea to him, Stan was in fact considering it. And he actually didn’t want to, but obviously he did. He just wanted to forget and move on, but with this new option running around in his head, he found himself imagining things he could do to woo the man and imagining things that could happen if he were to succeed with that.

”Any ideas or do you need help of the Mighty Rich?” Richie grinned at the younger man across him, making Stan blink before rolling his eyes at the other’s words. “Mighty Rich? Really?”

Richie pouted, nodding. “Yeah, it’s cool okay? It’s my superhero name.”

“Alright, alright. What does the Mighty Rich have in mind?” Stan asked, now more curious as he took Richie in. The other man smiled widely, leaning forward and pulling a bit of a perverted face, before chuckling and turning a little more serious.

In the meanwhile, just a little down the beach, Oliver and Aries were mindlessly playing with the sand. They were trying to build towers of the soft sand, but they obviously kept collapsing.

“Think need water, Ollie.” Aries soon concluded, tilting her head at the boy next to her. Oliver hummed, getting up and rubbing some sand off his hands. Aries did the same, both soon walking towards the water with Aries’ bucket to get water and build a better tower.

Oliver watched as the girl scooped up water, huffing when she took some sand with and dumping everything back in the ocean, before trying again. The boy giggled, still watching. He soon heard his name though, turning his head and spitting a familiar boy running his way. “Ollie”

The girl next to Oliver got up again, frowning as she took in the small boy that had now reached them, obviously not happy someone else used the nickname she had thought of for Oliver. But she kept quiet, curiously awaiting what the small boy had to say.

“Hunter!” Oliver greeted back happily, giggling as he hugged the small boy and made him giggle too. Hunter grinned up at him, obviously excited to see Oliver again. “Awe beach too!”

Oliver nodded, grinning back. “Am yes. Build towers.”

Hunter’s eyes widened excitedly as he was still looking up at Oliver. “Can too?”

The dark haired boy looked back at Aries, who was watching with a small frown, while holding the bucket to her body. Oliver giggled as he saw the frown on her face, pulling her closer. “Come Ari. This is Hunter, he nice. Can build too, yes?”

The girl took in the small boy skeptically, noticing how Hunter turned from excited to shy the second she looked at him. He almost looked scared, as if to be rejected. It made Aries want to hug the small boy tightly and protect him from any dangers, just like her dad always did with her. She pretended to hate it, but really, she loved the big hugs her dad would give her. She kind of missed him on this trip, but she was having a lot of fun too and couldn’t wait to tell him about everything.

“Okay.” Aries said with a slight nod, watching Hunter’s eyes lit up at her word of agreement, smiling at that. She liked making others happy.

”Yay!” Hunter excitedly exclaimed, before launching forward and hugging Oliver, giggling. Oliver giggled as well, hugging the boy back before deciding to introduce Aries. “Hunter? This is Aries.”

Aries smiled a little awkwardly—something she had somehow picked up from her dad and let her feet move through the sand. Hunter simply smiled widely, waving a little. “Hewo.”

”Hi.” Aries mumbled in return, blushing a little now both boys were looking at her. She then was quick to recollect herself, straightening up a little. “Let build.”

Both boys grinned and nodded excitedly, all three quick to run to the spot Aries and Oliver had been trying to make towers at. They sat down and were quick to start on the towers again, adding water to make the sand stay in place and giggling whenever something collapsed anyway. All three were trying to build the biggest out of all, all happy and giggly, getting along just fine.


	18. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Seventeen** _

Stan was really dreading the end of the trip. There were now only three real days left on the island, with a planned excursion today. Of course Stan was looking forward to spending those three days here and having fun, but the whole ‘going home’ idea bothered him, if he was honest. He managed to push most of it away though, focusing on his son and his happiness. After all, the boy was more than happy here and enjoying every moment of it all. Which was basically an example for Stan himself.

The morning was a nice start, Oliver having remembered to take the bear to give to the travel guide and Stan remembering to take all their stuff for the day. They were going to the zoo right after breakfast, to make the most out of their day there. Which would prove to be difficult for some parents, because it always happens that some forget or something like that.

The two Uris were a little earlier at breakfast that morning, but still arrived when Bill was leaving. As predicted, by the travel guide himself. Which was only a good thing, obviously, considering they took the bear down to give to him.

Bill smiled when he spotted the two, waving at Oliver as the boy waved at him excitedly. Stan on the other hand, could feel himself grow nervous. After all, he was planning to in Richie’s words ‘woo him’ that day and the idea that it could have a positive outcome made his hands want to shake. He knew to keep himself in check though, facing the travel guide with a smile. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Stan. And good morning, Oliver.” Bill greeted in return, still smiling and even blushing lightly when meeting Stan’s eyes. It was one of the things Stan noticed and what he had told Richie about, which only made the curly haired male more confident with his words in turn. Richie had been convinced Bill had at least a small crush on Stan as well and that it shouldn’t be hard to woo him.

“Bought present!” Oliver announced happily after having greeted the travel guide as well. The man smiled, still having the light blush on his cheeks. “That’s very sweet of you.”

Oliver hummed and held up the box that contained the bear. It was a different box from usual, completely white with only the Build-a-Bear logo on the bottom. Especially made for gifting. Which made Stan chose it, mostly to keep up the suspense of what their present was exactly.

Bill took it, his face showing curiosity as he carefully opened it. Oliver was bouncing in excitement, obviously wanting to know what the man thought of it. He was really hoping the man would like it, as he had chosen it after all. And as soon as Bill pulled the white, fuzzy stuffed animal out of the box, Stan knew Oliver chose well.

A big smile overtook the travel guide’s face and Stan would almost say the man was tearing up, but he figured he imagined that. The smile on the man’s face couldn’t possibly go in combination with tears. After all, the gift couldn’t be that touching, could it be?

“Like?” Oliver asked quietly, looking up at the travel guide with big eyes, his small hands locked behind his back as he waited for Bill’s answer. Of course, he figured the smile of the man was a ‘yes’, but he always wanted confirmation, word-wise. Something Stan knew he inherited from his mom.

Bill seemed at a loss for words in that moment, before slowly nodding, letting out a soft and short laugh. “Yeah. I love it, Oliver. Thank you so much.”

Oliver smiled widely at those words, even squealing softly from happiness. Bill kept smiling, kneeling down and hugging Oliver the second the boy had launched himself at him. It was a tight, but mostly sweet hug, which made Stan wonder if the bear had more of an effect on Bill than he had decided on at first. He didn’t dare question it though.

”Thanks for all, mister Bill. Happy like present.” Oliver mumbled, smiling wide when the two let go again and Bill got back up. He nodded lightly, patting the boy’s head as he was still smiling. “Thank you, for being so amazing. Both of you.”

Stan couldn’t help but feel a light heat rush to his cheeks at Bill’s attention and words, smiling sheepishly. The travel guide didn’t seem to mind though, still as happy as ever. “Now, how about you two go enjoy your breakfast. We’re leaving soon and we can’t let the animals wait.”

Oliver giggled, but nodded, the three soon saying their goodbyes before Oliver was pulling his dad towards the restaurant. Stan looked back briefly though, not able to stop the fond smile from showing as he saw Bill waiting for the elevator, looking down at the white bear with the same wide smile as when he had received it.

Breakfast was rather normal, especially with Richie and Aries joining in a little later and having to rush just a little to be on time. But Oliver and Stan waited for them, the four of them getting into the small bus Bill had arranged together and taking a seat.

The trip to the zoo was short, but it was easier to reach by bus than walking, considering the bus trip still took about fifteen minutes and the roads weren’t all that great.

Once at the zoo, Oliver excitedly announced to both Stan and Richie that the four of them were going to stay together the whole trip, as he and Aries had decided on. It made the two adults laugh a little, but they didn’t mind it at all. After all, Stan was still terrible with maps and he figured Richie could save them on that part.

It took a little of kids yelling(not Oliver and Aries though) and parents sighing and pushing, but soon everyone was inside the zoo and free to roam wherever. It was then that Aries spotted the small Hunter, waving him over and asking him and his mom if they wanted to tag along. And neither Richie nor Stan minded, because as they had found out, Richie couldn’t really find his way with maps either. Even if there were probably signs around the zoo as well.

“Mister Bill!” Oliver ran off to the travel guide, who was just a little away, looking at a map of the zoo. He looked up at the mention of his name though, even if he already knew who was calling for him. After all, only Oliver called him ‘mister Bill’ and his voice was one Bill just remembered by now.

“Hey buddy.” Bill greeted, smiling as the boy reached him. “Mister Bill, you alone?”

Bill smiled a little at the boy’s question, nodding his head. “Yes, I’m pretty much alone. But I’ll be fine.”

Oliver pouted when hearing that, shaking his head and taking Bill’s free hand, before looking back at his dad. “Daddy! Me go mister Bill!”

The travel guide’s eyes widened a little, before he smiled awkwardly at Stan, who looked over in confusion. He chuckled when he saw his son with Bill though, already knowing the man would end up walking with them. Stan was quick to nudge Richie and tell the male what was going on, before jogging over to Oliver and Bill. His hand ended up on the boy’s head as he smiled at him with amusement. “Did you ask him that, bub?”

Oliver blushed a little as he looked up at his dad, before turning to Bill. “Sorry, Mister Bill. But please? Can walk please?”

Bill seemed to try and find words again, but it was still quite impossible to tell Oliver no. Especially the second he pulled his well practiced puppy face. Bill just sighed then, clearly a little frustrated with himself, as he accepted. “Okay, okay. We can walk together.”

“Yay!” Oliver cheered, two of his hands holding the travel guide’s, as always, before pulling him over to the already existing group. Stan followed, biting his lip lightly as he couldn’t help but check out Bill’s backside. I mean, he had the chance to now anyway, so why not?

“I see you’ve bought us someone who can read a map?” Richie joked, when Oliver and Bill arrived at the group. Bill smiled though, obviously not bothered by getting that role. “Where would you be without me?”

“Lost for sure.” Richie said with a grin, obviously pleased that the travel guide could joke with him. Stan, however, was a little less pleased that he didn’t have the man’s attention now, but he then was quick to realize how selfish that was. The man was their travel guide after all and he couldn’t have just eyes for Stan.

“Penguins!” Aries suddenly shouted, spotting penguins a little further away and running that way. Richie groaned, following his daughter quickly and leaving the rest to follow, the three adults with amusement. 

Oliver kept walking at Bill’s side the whole time, holding onto his hand with both of his own. He moved one hand to hold one of Aries’ or Hunter’s at times, when one of them would be close, but it was mainly Bill who got the boy’s attention. Not that the travel guide minded, because he could still give his information out to whoever asked and he did that with a big smile.

At some point, Oliver had directed everyone over to the meerkats, which were hands down one of his favorite animals at any zoo. He always loved to watch the small animals and he could honestly stay there for hours.

The others however, didn’t exactly share that opinion and Stan was quick to notice that there were only three of them left. Which included himself, Oliver and Bill. He immediately knew it was Richie’s doing, since after all, it had been planned to ‘woo Bill.’ It would have been nice to have gotten a heads up though.

Oliver turned, as he had wanted to point something cute out to Aries, only to pout when seeing she wasn’t there anymore. It was just him, his dad and Bill. He looked up at the two men, who were still watching the meerkats, even if Stan too had noticed they were alone. “Daddy, where all?”

Stan looked back at his son, while Bill looked up as well, surprised to see he was now alone with Stan and Oliver. The boy kept pouting, making grabby hands for his dad and giving him sad eyes. The dark haired male smiled fondly, picking the boy up and holding him close. He even added in a kiss to the cheek, his eyes meeting Bill’s as he turned them both to him. It made the travel guide blush a little, but then smile comfortingly, his hand soon finding the boy’s back and rubbing it. “Hey now, don’t be sad. I’m pretty sure they just had to go to the bathroom real badly, hm? And besides, you still have us. We’re still fun, right?”

The boy sniffled lightly, nodding at the man’s words and putting his head down on his dad’s shoulder. Bill watched with a sad smile, taking the boy’s hand when he held it out and looking at Stan as if to ask what to do to cheer the boy up. But the dark haired male simply gave Bill a small smile in return, as if to say they should let it blow over.

Which they did, because soon enough, Oliver had calmed down and was watching the meerkats again, quietly this time. He then asked to be put down, holding his dad’s hand on the one side and Bill’s hand on the other side, walking with them to the next animals. It cheered him up though, because he ended up swinging from their hands and giggling softly, making both Stan and Bill smile.

“Giraffe!” Oliver gasped, pulling the two men over to the tall animal, giggling when seeing one of the smaller giraffes skipping around. “So tall!”

Bill smiled, getting an idea and nudging Stan, who nodded at the whispered idea. Stan picked up Oliver and watched Bill get down before putting the four year old on Bill’s shoulders. Oliver squealed at the sudden moves, but he smiled widely when Bill got back up with him still steadily on his shoulders. “Tall too!”

Stan smiled widely when seeing his son so happy again, glad to have been able to, in cliché words, turn his frown upside down. The boy was giggling and clearly enjoying being on Bill’s shoulders, giving the giraffes some more attention from up high.

And even when they moved away to the next animals, Stan kept watching them and smiling. The two were goofing around, Oliver giggling loudly at the way Bill seemed to entertain him, even while he was sitting on the man’s shoulders.

And, yeah, maybe Stan hadn’t gotten to ‘woo’ Bill yet, but he did know his crush was growing into something more. Especially now he saw Bill this way, with Oliver. It made this empty hole feel filled up, with the presence of another parent. Even if Bill wasn’t exactly Oliver’s parent. And even if, Stan wouldn’t mind if he were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so fluffy I had to take breaks while writing or I would die from all the cuteness lol


	19. Chapter 18

**_Chapter Eighteen_ **

Stan was somewhat tired, when he and Oliver joined Richie and Aries for breakfast that morning. It was a free day for those who didn’t have the excursion and Stan was glad he hadn’t chosen this one. He couldn’t even remember what it was exactly, but he was just glad to be able to stay in the hotel.

The whole night had existed of Stan tossing and turning, his mind clogged up with thoughts about Bill. And Stan wanted to be annoyed, which he partially-albeit it a very little bit—was, but he couldn’t really be. He loved the thought of Bill. But that was the annoying part, because he liked Bill and he liked him too much for it to be just a silly crush. Heck, he had ended up imagining life with Bill!

Of course Stan had considered that it could be the idea of the second parent for Oliver, since Bill and Oliver got along so well. But Stan knew that wasn’t just the case. He liked the idea of Bill in general, not just him being Oliver’s second parent. Which was the part that annoyed him, because he hadn’t gotten to ‘woo’ Bill the day before and now there were only two real days left.

“You look sour.” Richie commented, sipping his coffee and looking at the kids briefly to make sure they were still there. Stan sighed, leaning on his hand and looking at the other male with a somewhat desperate look. “I couldn’t sleep at all. I was kept up by my thoughts about...well, you know who.”

Richie grinned, even if he already knew Stan had failed their plan the day before. He still had hope though, to see the two end up together. “That’s all the more reason to woo him today. I heard he isn’t tagging along with the excursion, just the welcoming thing. So I suggest I keep the monsters busy and you do your thing.”

Stan gave Richie a look, not exactly agreeing at first, before slowly letting himself agree. Really, he had nothing to lose anyway. They had two days left, with a goodbye dinner tomorrow night and then it was back to the airport for the long plane ride and back to his old life. With or without Bill. “Fine.”

”Nice. Now, you really do need to take the first step, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be out. He loves the nature, isn’t it?” Richie said, very obviously still as excited. Stan nodded, remembering all the times Bill did tag along with excursions and knowing all these included nature in one way or another. “Right. So, um, he’ll be around nature most likely. Today. Or the pool, because he seems to enjoy just relaxing there too.”

Stan chuckled softly at the way Richie suddenly spoke sheepishly, but he did have to agree that it sounded logical. But, Stan felt quite positive about finding Bill, knowing Oliver had this Bill-radar, as it seemed. And they also seemed to attract each other like magnets, with the count of times they’ve met somewhere coincidentally.

The ringing of a phone interrupted the conversation, even if it had been pretty much finished already, making Richie pull it out. He didn’t even pretend to be annoyed by it, simply smiling and picking up. Stan watched him, how his expression was still happy and how he kept smiling while answering.

At one point, Richie’s expression changed to surprise though, which made Stan quite curious. But he kept quiet, letting Richie finish his conversation. He knew Richie would probably tell him anyway, considering how open the two had gotten with each other.

”Yeah, um, I’ll think about it. Thanks.” Richie mumbled, before saying his goodbyes and hanging up, letting his eyes meet Stan’s. The dark haired male kept quiet, looking back and raising an eyebrow lightly. Richie blinked a few times, before slowly speaking. “He invited me to his graduation...”

Stan grinned, leaning over the small table a little and punching Richie’s shoulder playfully. “Nice. You should definitely go.”

Richie blinked a few more times, seeming to think it through, before slowly smiling. “Yeah, I should. It’s a good time to talk, right?”

”It is.” Stan agreed. “But I would wait until like, after. Maybe take him out for dinner if his parents don’t.”

The curly haired male smiled, nodding. “That sounds like a great plan.”

The rest of breakfast was rather normal, with some small talk and the kids giggling and happy. Basically like any breakfast. It didn’t take long for the four to be at the pool, the kids already playing in the water while Richie and Stan sat at the side, Stan looking out for a certain blue eyed travel guide.

“Are you sure you don’t want to make a round through the hotel? He might just pass through the lobby.” Richie pushed his sunglasses down a little to look at Stan properly. The dark haired male shook his head, keeping his eyes on the surroundings. “No, I don’t want to risk missing him here.”

“I would stop him, you know. Stall him. Or Oliver would, because everyone knows how much your kid is in love with him. I feel like it runs in the family.” Richie joked, grinning widely and even laughing as it earned him a soft push. In a way it was true though, Stan knew, because both of them had developed a certain fondness towards Bill. Just different kinds.

”I know you would. But I prefer to be the first to walk into him.” Stan mumbled, sitting back a little more. Richie kept quiet then, watching the kids play in the water and relaxing on the lounger. Stan decided to do the same, not really knowing what else to do anyway.

Nothing happened though and Bill didn’t come out, which made Stan somewhat frustrated and get up eventually. “Fine. I’m going to the lobby or whatever, you stay here and keep him busy if he comes back.”

Richie hummed and nodded, waving the younger male off and keeping his eyes open. Stan sighed as he walked off, biting his lower lip as he moved through the lobby in search of their travel guide. He honestly hoped the man hadn’t gone to the beach or something, wanting to set this through.

The lobby was rather empty, only the employees present behind the reception or cleaning up and just the single guest asking them about whatever. But no Bill. Not even another person from their group, or just anyone he recognized besides the hotel employees. So with a slight pout on his face, Stan went back outside, only to see Bill walking towards the small bar the pool had.

Richie was in the water now, distracting the kids as it seemed, his head nudging towards Bill once he spotted Stan. The younger male was glad Richie was keeping the kids busy, especially Oliver. He figured Bill had only just arrived anyway, so there hadn’t been any need for Richie to keep Bill himself busy.

With a fast beating heart and a nervous smile, Stan walked over to the bar and joined Bill. “Hey, Bill.”

The travel guide looked up from the menu he had been looking at, smiling wide when spotting Stan, his cheeks tinting lightly. “Stan, hello.”

“Enjoying the day off as well?” Stan asked hoping to start a conversation that way. He wasn’t very good with this, honestly. Normally he wouldn’t mind. He’d go up to any stranger and flirt with them. But it was different with Bill. He couldn’t bring himself to use whatever cheesy pick-up line that would enter his mind.

Bill nodded, still having his usual smile on his face. “I am. It’s been quite relaxing to have to do this little on a day so far.”

“I can imagine.” Stan smiled a little, hoping it wasn’t a nervous one. That would obviously raise questions, even if his presence did in general. After all, even if he and Bill had been getting along fine, Stan knew he wasn’t the only parent Bill could talk to easily.

”Is there a certain reason, that you have come to talk, if I may ask? I mean, it’s not that I don’t like talking to you.” Bill immediately started to apologize then, his cheeks turning an even darker shade of red then, which in turn only made Stan smile. “It’s fine. I just...wanted to talk. About um, multiple things I guess.”

Bill took in Stan’s face, seeming to relax a little at how the dad took his words without a problem. He then noticed Stan’s nervousness though, assuming this would once again be about that night out. Which Bill wasn’t over yet completely, honestly. “Oh.”

“Yeah..” Stan cleared his throat, looking at Bill somewhat nervously. He wasn’t even sure how to bring this. How was he supposed to tell Bill he had gained feelings for him and wanted to know how Bill thought about it? Straight out scared Stan a little, but he couldn’t think of many other ways to do it. “So, I guess I’ll start by saying I don’t really regret what happened in the club, the other night. I mean, it was mainly a thing led by alcohol, but it happened because there were feelings behind it. Obviously.”

Stan noticed how Bill sallowed obviously, how his blue eyes were focused on his, how there was still a blush on the travel guide’s face and how he seemed nervous now. Which made Stan a little happy, but also more nervous. Because it could either be that Bill was nervous because he felt the same way, or that Bill was nervous because he had to let Stan down and he felt bad about it. Because even in the time they spent together, Stan knew Bill was a nice person by heart.

“And um, I know it was sudden and that I could’ve just talked with you or, well, basically do what I’m doing now I guess. So I do apologize, again for that. But I just want to know where you stand. How do you feel? Because, I mean, god, this isn’t supposed to happen. But I’m very sure that I have gained feelings for you, Bill.” Stan almost rambled, taking a slightly deep breath as he finished his last word. He felt a little lighter now he had gotten that out, but he was still nervous for Bill’s reaction. After all, he didn’t know how the travel guide would respond.

Bill stayed quiet, looking at Stan with slightly widened eyes. His expression was mainly shocked, but there weren’t really any other clear emotions. Which was the most nerve wracking part for Stan. As was the option of being rejected, honestly. Stan hated rejection. Or, he rather feared it. And he hated that he feared it, so in a way, he hated rejection.

“Bill?” Stan asked quietly, moving a little closer and carefully putting his hand on top of Bill’s. The travel guide didn’t pull away, though he didn’t move his hand either, just letting Stan’s rest on top of his. His eyes moved over Stan’s face quickly before moving down, as his mind seemed to be occupied by a lot of thoughts. Stan hoped they were positive.

The dark haired male then decided to just be bold, mainly in the hopes it would also get a reaction out of Bill, licking his lips lightly as he leaned in. Bill didn’t seem to notice, which was clear by the soft sound of surprise he let out when Stan had tilted his head up a little and pressed his lips to Bill’s. Stan didn’t pull away though. He wanted to get a reaction out of Bill and he would.

A soft smile appeared on Stan’s lips as he felt Bill’s lips move with his own hesitantly, before the travel guide pulled away and shook his head, looking at Stan with wide eyes. He looked a little shocked, but mainly conflicted before he was suddenly getting up and trying to excuse himself.

Stan tried to stop him, but Bill was off before he could even get up from his seat properly, the travel guide quick to disappear from view and leave Stan alone at the bar. The dark haired male sank back into his seat with a sad face, feeling the rejection.

“Um, is it part of the plan that he rushed away like that?” Richie questioned, eyebrows furrowed as he looked up at Stan from the pool. The younger male turned his head, looking back at Richie sadly as he shook his head slowly. It made Richie sigh quietly and then smile comfortably. “I’m sure he just needs time. How did he react in general?”

Richie got out of the pool, ignoring the way his trunks were dripping and sitting down on the chair Bill had been sitting before. He put his hand on Stan’s leg, looking at him seriously. Stan sighed, moving his eyes back to Richie’s. “Speechless. Troubled...”

“Did he kiss back?” Richie then asked, making Stan look at him in surprise. The younger male wasn’t sure if anyone had seen, but he was kind of hoping Richie was the only one. He especially hoped Oliver hadn’t seen because that would probably arise questions Stan wasn’t in the mood to answer. “He did.”

The curly haired male grinned widely, obviously pleased with that answer. “Great! That means he’s probably just confused. Therefore, you need to go find him and talk about it. More than you did just now.”

”But how do I know where he went?” Stan asked, mainly to himself. Richie thought about it, along with Stan himself. Richie had said before how he had noticed Bill had a thing for nature, which made Stan think of places with nature. And perhaps, Bill would choose a quiet spot, to think and be alone. A place not many people knew of.

Stan looked back up at Richie suddenly, his eyes widened slightly. “I think I know where he went.”


	20. Chapter 19

_**Nineteen** _

Stan was pretty confident with his guess, of where he could possibly find Bill. It just made sense and even if he hadn’t told Richie and thus hadn’t gotten advice whether or not it was a good idea, Stan’s confidence didn’t waver. After all, it had nature, it was quiet and most likely only the locals knew of its existence.

Luckily for Stan, it was only a ten minute walk from the hotel, which turned even shorter since Stan ended up jogging. He had felt the adrenaline kick in and he was getting excited, because it was much like a book or a series. Even if there hadn’t been all that much drama, it still felt like something made up. Him falling for the travel guide and now chasing him, in the hopes to make things better.

The odd shaped rocks were the first thing Stan noticed when approaching, his eyes already searching the small beach for a certain figure. Of course, he knew Bill wouldn’t make it that easy. He knew the travel guide a little by now and he wouldn’t just sit down in the first spot he’d pass. He would probably have ended up walking along the beach a little. Enjoying the soft breeze and the water.

And Stan was right, having pulled off his flip flops and walked a little further, through the sand. He spotted Bill sitting somewhat out of sight, near the water and with his legs pulled up. His arms were around his legs almost loosely, fingers entwined and thumbs twiddling a little. As if he was mindlessly moving them while thinking.

When Stan moved closer, he saw Bill’s eyes were locked on the ocean, while his lips were parted lightly and his chest moved up and down with somewhat heavy breaths. And when Stan needed up next to Bill, in the sand, he was a little surprise to see a tear-track on Bill’s cheek. Though no fresh tears, to his relief.

Bill noticed Stan, how he sat down next to him and looked at the ocean too, for a bit. But he didn’t respond. He kept quiet as well and Stan knew he wouldn’t start the conversation anyway. He had to and he had to apologize as well, probably. Even if in his mind, he didn’t have anything to apologize for. Maybe the way he took Bill by surprise, but he couldn’t exactly have given Bill more of a heads up.

“I’m sorry if that was, um....somewhat....yeah.” Stan looked down at the sand at his feet, poking his finger in it and slowly tracing a random pattern. Bill’s eyes moved down to follow Stan’s finger, but he didn’t speak. He still kept quiet and that made Stan feel a little awkward. But he was quite set on fixing this—whatever this was exactly. “I just—I don’t know how to make it clear that I really, really like you. It’s not just a crush and I want to know if you see any possibilities in this. Or if I just need to give up all hope, because if I do, please just say so.”

It took a moment, but Bill then let out a quiet sigh, finally turning his head and meeting Stan’s eyes. Bill’s eyes weren’t red, so he hadn’t cried much, but it still saddened Stan to see Bill this troubled. Especially because of him. “It’s just that....I think too much about everything.”

Stan tilted his head a little, taking the man in and wondering what he meant exactly, but not wanting to question it. He wanted to know, but he didn’t want to scare Bill away again. He wanted to let the man tell it himself.

“I guess I’ve been hanging onto my past a lot, even if I’ve tried to move on by doing what I do now. I’m still scared that it will repeat itself. And that makes me scared to fall for someone. As stupid as it may sound.” Bill told the other, now avoiding his eyes. His past obviously bothered him, which was another thing that kind of saddened Stan. It must have been something big, for Bill to still be bothered by it, Stan figured.

The dark haired male wanted to take Bill’s hand, already reaching for it, before pulling back as he realized that might make Bill uncomfortable. “It’s not stupid. Obviously it has left a scar and scars don’t just fade. They can be covered and forgotten, but at the end of the day, they’re still there. It’s normal to look at them and realize what has happened had an impact. We’re all human after all.”

Bill let his lips tug up a little at Stan’s words, which made Stan’s heart flutter and warm up in return. He loved making Bill smile, he realized, and he hated seeing him sad. He didn’t want for Bill to be down or frowning. He didn’t want Bill to go through things alone and to have to be bothered by them. It scared him a little, but Stan didn’t care much anymore. He had accepted that he was basically madly in love with the travel guide.

“Thank you.” Bill spoke quietly, taking Stan’s hand and letting out a deep breath, before finally looking at Stan again. There was now a small smile on his face, his eyes still a little sad. But he seemed better than before, if Stan was honest. “No problem.”

Bill chuckled lightly, moving his head back and looking down at the sand, almost shyly. His cheeks were turning a soft red again and Stan knew it was because of him. He always made Bill flustered. He loved it though, to have Bill’s cheeks that soft color. It was cute.

”I like you too, Stan. Much more than I should.” Bill admitted, while his eyes were on the ocean. Stan didn’t mind though, because the words made his heart skip a beat either way. He had gotten what he wanted and besides the fact that it felt very satisfying, it felt amazing in general. Bill actually liked him back. God, it was like he was back in high school with a crush.

“But it doesn’t take away I’m still sacred.” Bill then whispered, his eyebrows furrowing together as his eyes fluttered shut. His lips were tugging down and Stan didn’t even need to hear the words to know how heavy Bill’s past was to him. It was pushing him down and Stan hated seeing him that way. He wanted to lift that weight and cuddle Bill until he felt all better. He wanted to shower him in love and tell him, promise him, it would all be fine. That he was safe and that nobody would hurt him. “What are you scared of? You know you can tell me. I’ll be here for you. Make sure it won’t happen again.”

Stan noticed Bill’s lips tugged up a little, but it wasn’t very positive. It was as if Bill was touched by Stan’s words, but didn’t believe them. As if he was convinced he could only be stuck reviewing the past and not get happinesses again. Which Stan disagreed with, very much so. Especially if he had a say in Bill’s future.

It had been quiet for a bit and Stan had almost wanted to say something, maybe talk about whatever random subject would come up to distract Bill, when he spoke. His voice was sad and slightly shaky, as he was obviously bothered by it all. “I had a daughter. And a wife.”

Stan kept quiet, his eyes still on Bill as he let the travel guide tell his story. He already knew it was sad and he knew he probably wouldn’t like the outcome of this story, but he stayed strong for Bill. He would let him cry if needed and he would comfort him.

”She was only two, at the time, my daughter. We all went out for dinner because we felt like it, spontaneously. I was driving when we went back. I had only drank one glass of bear, which usually doesn’t make a difference. Didn’t then either. My wife had drank much more so I wasn’t letting her drive either way.” Bill huffed out a laugh, but it sounded sad and a little sarcastic. “A car came our way, driving on the wrong side, pretty fast. I managed to avoid it, but while doing so, the car slipped and somehow we hit a tree. It had been on the side where they had been sitting.”

Stan frowned deeply, his grip on Bill’s hand tightening lightly. Like he had figured, it wasn’t a happy story. After all, otherwise Bill wouldn’t be so hurt by it. Then he wouldn’t still be holding onto it. Being scared.

”Our daughter, she....died on impact. My wife was hurt badly as well. I got out rather unharmed.” Bill moved his right and free hand up as if he wanted to touch something, before moving it back down in the sand, biting his lip a little. “We got transported to the hospital and treated. I was allowed to leave rather quickly, with some painkillers and bandages. My wife had to stay a few days to recover properly. I was there everyday, but I wasn’t allowed in. She didn’t want to see me.” Bill took a little bit of a deep breath. “She blamed me for it all.”

Those three words were what made Stan close to tearing up. ‘ _She blamed me.’_ His heart hurt and he couldn’t believe someone could possibly say that. Especially in such a situation. Neither had been to blame, only the person who had driven on the wrong side of the road. They were to blame for it all.

“She does a few days later. The doctors had failed to see and treat some kind of internal damage and it killed her.” Bill finished, a fresh set of tears now in his eyes. Stan had to sallow down his own, deciding to scoot closer, their sides touching, and pulling Bill into a hug. He held him tight, which Bill didn’t mind, his body relaxing against Stan’s as tears started slipping. Soon he was crying softly against the younger male, his arms around Stan’s waist and his face pressed to his chest.

Stan simply kept him close, rubbing his back and pressing soft kisses to Bill’s hair. He had to stay strong, for Bill. He wanted Bill to feel safe and comforted, even if the story touched him like...well, he honestly couldn’t think of something equally as sad. Perhaps when he found out Amira died. That had hurt him. Differently, somewhat. But it was the only thing he could think of in that moment.

“I’m so sorry that happened, Bill. Nobody should have to go through that.” Stan started out quietly at one point. Bill had calmed down a little, even if he was still leaning against Stan and hiding his face. Which Stan was more than okay with. “But I do want to say, even if you might have heard this many times before, that it’s not your fault. You only saved them from the accident with the other car, which could have been even worse. It’s not your fault what happened.”

“I know. I mean, I try to believe it. But it’s hard. It’s why I chose to do this though, the trips. It gives me a chance to make the kids vacation the best, no matter what. And it kind of fills the void left behind after it.” Bill mumbled, sniffling and moving his head a little so his ear was pressed to Stan’s chest now, his eyes finding the ocean. “But it’s still hard. Especially since she said it.”

“Yeah well, she had no right to. I mean, I bet she was nice, since you married her and all. But she had no right to blame you.” Stan spoke, a slight huff in his voice as he felt a slight dislike grow for the women. He didn’t know her, heck, Bill hadn’t even said her name. But she honestly had no right to blame Bill. If anything, she could have also chosen not to drink anything so she could’ve driven. But, the past is the past. It happened and there was only the now and future. “But I get why you’re scared. And it’s okay to be. But you shouldn’t let it stop you from doing things you want, besides this trips.”

”For example, go out with you?” Bill spoke, quietly, but somewhat joking. It made Stan smile, a soft chuckle making his chest rumble beneath Bill’s ear. “Well, not necessarily what I was trying to say. But if you’re offering....”

“I get it though. What you’re saying.” Bill said with a slight hum to his voice, before he curled up more against Stan. “And if you’re willing to, I wouldn’t mind trying.”

Stan smiled widely at those words, moving his head down a little and almost clumsily pressing a kiss to Bill’s head again. “I would love that very much.”

”Okay.” Bill whispered, tilting his head up and looking at Stan’s face, especially his eyes. Stan was smiling still, making his own lips tug up a little as well. Bill then cupped Stan’s face with one hand, unbeknownst to him making Stan’s heart beat rapidly from the nerves. But Stan kept himself in check, his eyes widening just a little, before fluttering shut as Bill pressed his lips to Stan’s.

The dark haired male moved a hand to Bill’s lower back, keeping him close as their lips moved together slowly. There was a passion between them, the love almost taste-able on the other’s lips, even if love was still a word too big for this. Both felt their hearts burst with happiness, them beating fast and making them all giddy and almost letting their hands shake. But together they were able to keep themselves steady. To keep themselves together.

Bill leaned on Stan a little more, both squeaking as that caused Stan to fall back into the sand, with Bill on top of him. The travel guide was blushing brightly now, groaning softly as he moved to hide his face in Stan’s neck. The young dad simply smiled, hugging Bill close and letting his eyes flutter shut again, content in that moment.

Nothing could ruin this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have smut so just giving you guys a heads up✌🏽


	21. Chapter 20

_**Twenty** _

__

Stan was happy and giddy and he hadn’t been able to stop smiling ever since he had sat on the beach with Bill. He was feeling amazing and even a little hopeful, that he had a bright future with Bill right by his side. After all, he knew for sure that his crush on Bill wasn’t just a small crush that would pass. He really, genuinely liked the older man. 

“Daddy, Ari be there?” Oliver asked, as he tugged on his dad’s dress shirt. Stan had decided to dress up a little more, since tonight was the last day and last dinner on the island. He had spent the day before with Bill on the beach and Richie had taken Oliver with him and Aries for dinner so Stan could have some dinner with Bill. He then proceeded to spend most of today with Oliver, Richie, Aries and Bill, getting a little glum whenever Bill got a call and when Bill had to leave to take care of things for the final dinner and the trip back home the next day.

Richie had joked about it, even adding in a ‘why so glum, sugarplum?’, but Stan still pouted and felt a little sad. He knew it was stupid, because Bill probably didn’t feel so sad while being without Stan, but he couldn’t help it. Oliver was quick to cheer him up though, which he could never fail at. Stan loved him too much.

“Yeah, and Ari’s dad as well.” Stan answered, already knowing that would be the next question. Oliver giggled when he already received the answer to his so far unasked question, nodding at the answer. “And Mister Bill?”

Stan looked down at his son, tilting his head a little, but smiling. “Of course. He wouldn’t want to miss out, don’t you think?”

Oliver nodded happily, smiling widely and showing off his missing tooth. He wasn’t shy about it anymore, after the teasing of those terrible twins a little while back, mostly thanks to Ari. The girl had claimed it was ‘super cool’ and that she too wanted to lose a tooth now. Oliver hadn’t stopped giggling at that claim, telling her she should keep her teeth because they make her look pretty when she smiles. Aries had blushed deeply, but hugged the boy nonetheless.

“Are you excited for tonight, bub?” Stan asked, finishing with his hair and fully turning to the boy beside him. He was wearing one of his favorite outfits, which consisted of a pair of black jeans—much like his dad—with a white t-shirt and a soft blue denim jacket. He also wanted to wear his dragon beanie with it, but Stan told him that they had left it at home because it was way too warm here for it. He already worried that Oliver had it too warm in his current clothes, but the boy didn’t seem to be bothered by anything.

“Yes!” Oliver excitedly answered, before giggling and clapping his hands together. “Fun!”

”Yeah, we’ll have fun.” Stan said with a chuckle, ruffling the boy’s hair. Oliver tried to push his dad’s hand away, whining. “No, Daddy!”

Stan couldn’t help but grin, slowly reaching out for the boy. “What if I said yes? For example....to the tickle monster!”

Oliver squealed, not able to run off before his dad caught him and started tickling him. The boy fell to the floor, making Stan lean over and tickle him even more. Oliver laughed loudly, squirming and trying to get his dad to stop, but unable to push him away. “D-daddy!”

“Yes?” Stan stopped, tilting his head a little at the boy, smiling. “What is it?”

“S-stop please?” Oliver pouted, putting on his best puppy face for his dad. The man hummed, pretending to think for a moment, before he looked back at the boy. “What’s the magic word?”

”Pancake!” The boy said quickly, looking at his dad almost innocently. Stan looked at him in confusion, blinking a few times. “Pancake?”

Oliver nodded, keeping that innocent look as he looked back at his dad. Stan was still confused, but sat up, pulling Oliver onto his lap easily. “That’s an interesting choice. But I’ll take it. Is that what you’re hungry for?”

The boy giggled, curling up in his dad’s lap happily, shaking his head a little. “No. Had with Ari.”

“Oh yesterday?” Stan asked, rubbing the boy’s back, smiling fondly. He took him in, all curled up and looking so small like this. It made him think back to when the boy was even smaller, all young and not able to say that many words. Not like he did now anyway. “Yes.”

”That’s cool.” The man hummed, before softly patting his son’s back. “Now, how about we get up and take our things, to go downstairs? We need to get there to walk with the group. You know how bad Daddy is when he has to find his own way, right?”

Oliver giggled, looking up at his dad and nodding, his eyes twinkling. “Daddy bad.”

”Yep. Very bad at finding his way.” Stan got up, still holding the boy. He put him down on his own feet, smiling down at him fondly. Oliver smiled back up at his dad, before taking the man’s hand and waiting for him to take all their stuff. Stan didn’t need much, just his phone, wallet and the key-card for the room, easily slipping it all into his pockets. “There. All set?”

”All set.” Oliver repeated, still smiling as he now walked out of the room with his dad. The two went downstairs, soon joining the group that was waiting in the lobby. Oliver kept close to his dad, a little anxious to walk into the twins again. Even if he knew his missing tooth wasn’t anything bad, he just didn’t like those two.

“Ollie!” Aries greeted happily, once she spotted the boy with his dad. That lit Oliver’s mood up and the boy didn’t hesitate to pull his dad over to Aries and Richie. Richie finished his conversation with another parent, before turning to Oliver and Stan, smiling. “Hey guys.”

Oliver waved at Richie shortly, before engaging in a conversation with the little girl. Stan chuckled softly at the action, smiling at Richie. “Hi.”

“You look awfully happy.” Richie noted, a teasing tone in his voice as he smiled at the younger one. Stan felt his cheeks heat up a little at the words, his hand moving to push the other male playfully. Richie chuckled at that, wrapping an arm around the younger’s shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Stan.”

“Thanks.” The young dad mumbled, still smiling and smiling even wider once he noticed Bill arrive.

At dinner, it was like the first time they all went for dinner all over again. Stan sat next to Bill and Oliver, with Aries at Oliver’s side and of course Richie beside Aries. Richie had wanted to sit next to Stan, just in case Stan needed any help, but those two spots had quickly been filled by Bill and Oliver. Not to anyone’s surprise, honestly.

Stan and Bill talked a lot, getting to know the other a little better and asking any questions coming to mind. While keeping it for kids’ ears of course. That made the evening fly by and add in just a little alcohol and the two were almost attached to the hip.

The group had gathered outside to talk a little more, enjoying the fresh summer air while they could. Stan had his hand on Bill’s lower back, hidden beneath the travel guide’s jacket from anyone’s sight. He had become awfully touchy and he really wanted Bill for himself while he could. To his luck, Richie had noticed and offered the kids to get some ice cream and then asked Oliver if he wanted to come play some games in Aries’ room. The boy had agreed happily after getting an ‘okay from his dad of course and soon Stan was walking back to the hotel with Bill.

Stan tried to sneak in some kisses on the cheek, even if Bill was a little wary. He wasn’t sure if there were any people from the group anywhere near and he didn’t want this to have a bad outcome for him. Stan understood, but he just couldn’t help himself.

Once in the elevator, with just the two of them, Stan took advantage and pressed Bill against the wall, hands on the other’s hips and a smile on his lips. His voice was soft and in a whisper, even if there wasn’t anyone who could hear them. “I finally have you to myself...”

Bill hummed, finally letting himself have this moment and wrapping his arms around Stan’s neck. The dad was a little taller than him, albeit really ‘a little’, so he had his head tilted up slightly. Stan kept smiling, leaning in a little and letting his nose rub with Bill’s. “Can I kiss you?”

“Of course.” Bill smiled, letting his eyes flutter close and humming softly as Stan’s lips pressed to his almost carefully. The two pressed themselves close to one another, their lips moving slowly and sweetly, both their minds filled with happy thoughts.

The elevator dinging broke their kiss, making Stan move a hand to Bill’s and lead him out. He kept the travel guide close, smiling still and looking for the door to his and Oliver’s room. He was feeling extremely happy in that moment, not really able to believe he had gotten a chance with Bill.

A comfortable silence hung around the two as Stan opened his door, letting Bill enter and closing the door behind the two of them. They both took their shoes off, before moving to the bed, having planned to just cuddle, kiss and watch some TV. But, honestly, Stan still wasn’t done with touching Bill. Not now he could.

Bill giggled softly as Stan’s hand moved up his side, beneath his shirt. His jacket was discarded at the door and Stan didn’t mind at all. It had revealed the man’s arms and gosh, Stan still wanted to know what it felt like to be held by them. Right now though, he had different plans. He was way more focused on giving Bill some of his love.

“Stan....” Bill mumbled, once Stan had rolled on top of him and was leaning down, about to kiss him. Stan stopped moving, taking Bill’s eyes in and waiting for him to speak. Bill didn’t though. He simply wrapped his arms around Stan’s neck and pulled the younger down to kiss.

Gladly complying, Stan kissed the travel guide back and kept his one hand on the other’s side. He even moved it up more, smiling as it made Bill hum into their kiss. Which started out slow and sweet, but was soon getting a bit more heated. They both felt the need for more, wanting to be closer.

Stan was the first to pull back, only to pull Bill’s shirt off and expose his chest, the one he had drooled over each time it was shown. Which wasn’t a lot, but those images were still imprinted in Stan’s mind. Bill was quick to demand Stan’s shirt off as well, watching the younger sit up and pull it off easily, his eyes lighting up a little as he did. Stan chuckled softly and leaned back down, pressing his lips to Bill’s.

The two kept kissing, slightly feverishly and definitely needy for more, Stan’s hand inching downwards soon enough. Bill didn’t stop him, even lifting his hips once Stan had unbuttoned his shorts. The kiss got broken again as Stan pulled them down and off, licking his lips once his eyes fell on Bill again. The man was now in only boxers, clearly already hardening. Which, honestly, made Stan feel good.

“Do you...” Stan started, a little breathlessly, only to be interrupted by Bill pulling him back into a kiss. Stan let out a sound of surprise, but kissed back gladly, a hand landing on Bill’s bare side. He caressed the skin there, amazed by the softness of it. Bill hummed softly into their kiss at the touch, pulling back shortly to answer Stan’s unfinished question. “Yes. I just want you tonight.”

Stan almost choked on his spit, but he happily kissed Bill again, thanking Richie mentally for bringing by his lube earlier. Stan hadn’t really expected for them to go this far, not tonight anyway, but he didn’t mind at all.

The young dad got up at one point, just to work himself out of his jeans. It didn’t go all too smooth, but he made Bill laugh and that was all he needed. He was quick to return over the travel guide, smiling down at him before kissing him again, letting a hand roam the other’s body. Bill hummed into the kiss and kept Stan close with his arms around the younger’s neck and his fingers tangling in the soft, dark hair. “Stan, please. Move along a little.”

Stan chuckled softly, but nodded and moved down, letting his fingers slip beneath the hem of Bill’s boxers. He slowly pulled the material down, keeping his eyes on Bill to make sure he was still comfortable and seeing him bite his lip. But he didn’t stop Stan and besides the slight blush once he was naked, he didn’t seem uncomfortable. “Damn.”

Bill blushed more at that, about to whine how Stan had to do something instead of stare at his boner, when Stan moved to pull his own underwear off. Just to even it out. And he felt awkward in his boxers, considering Bill was naked. Which, damn, Stan took in and saved because wow, Bill had one hell of a body.

The travel guide bit his lip again when he took Stan in, releasing it when Stan moved between his legs, pushing them apart just a little more. Bill made sure to tilt his hips a little, to make it easier for Stan, while watching the younger one open a bottle of lube he had gotten after undressing further. Stan did it as a pro, flipping it open with one hand and squirting some on his fingers, rubbing it between them as he got rid of the bottle.

Bill kept watching Stan, licking his lips and letting his fingers twist in the sheets below him, holding them tight. Stan wasn’t sure if Bill had ever been with a guy before, sexually anyway, so he made sure to keep it slow. He made sure to watch Bill and look out for any signs of discomfort. But Bill kept quiet and kept his eyes locked on Stan, lips only parting when Stan started scissoring him.

There was a silence, as Stan prepped Bill, but neither minded. It was comfortable and Stan was too busy with making sure Bill stayed comfortable to make sweet talk. He did press kisses to Bill’s knee at times, while his free hand caressed the travel guide’s calf. Bill appreciated the sweet touches, completely focused on Stan.

“It’s enough.” Bill mumbled at some point, breathing out shakily from how hard he was by then, eyes threatening to flutter shut and a thin line of sweat already at his hairline. Stan hummed and pulled his fingers out, using the condom—that yes, Richie had given him—and the lube to prepare himself, before leaning in and pressing himself to the other’s rim.

Another shaky breath left Bill, but this time from anticipation, his arms locking around Stan’s neck again and bringing the younger down for a kiss. Stan smiled, kissing Bill back gladly and taking a moment, before slowly pressing in. Bill gasped softly at the stretch, but he was quick to keep his focus with kissing again, distracting himself from the slight burn and letting Stan bottom out, before he could adjust.

“You’re so beautiful.” Stan mumbled, between the kisses he pressed to the corner of Bill’s lips and on the other’s jaw. Bill hummed softly in response, smiling a little and moving a hand to push Stan’s face back in place, their lips locking again. Bill muttered a quick ‘move’ between kisses, one hand on Stan’s shoulder and the fingers digging into the skin as some kind of preparation.

Stan complied and slowly started moving, rocking his hips back and forth and creating a steady rhythm. He made sure to keep it slow and focus on Bill, just in case he would stop him. But Bill seemed absolutely fine, his lips parted and swollen, eyes dark and clear, just his breathing slightly faster. Stan loved the sight, leaning down again to kiss Bill for the umpteeth time that evening.

A soft hum escaped Bill, as Stan kept his thrusts steady and slow, trying to push a little deeper. Bill gasped after one particular thrust, a soft moan leaving his lips and eyes fluttering open a little to look at Stan. The younger opened his eyes too, catching Bill’s and letting his own lips part to let his pants escape. “There.”

Smiling a little, Stan made sure to hit the same spot again, and again. Bill arched his back lightly when Stan hit it a little harsher than before, a slightly louder moan leaving his lips this time. Stan marveled at the sound, determined to create more of them and keeping his focus on hitting the same spot again and again. Bill’s fingers dug more into Stan’s skin at that, but moans and whimpers left his mouth from the pleasure. It felt incredibly good and he was so glad it was Stan that made him feel that way.

“Stan.” Bill moaned out, his head moving back as his back arched a little again. Stan couldn’t help but let out a moan himself at Bill’s actions, leaning down and kissing at the other’s neck sloppily. But Bill didn’t mind, loving every little bit of attention he got from Stan in that moment. “I’m close.”

Stan was surprised Bill was able to speak it so clearly, even if it was followed by moans, but hummed in response against the other’s neck. Bill breathed out heavily, another moan escaping him as he felt Stan wrap a hand around his length to stroke him. Stan kept his focus with Bill, wanting him to feel good, but not able to stop a moan as he felt Bill clench around him. “Oh fuck.”

With a moan of Stan’s name, Bill felt himself reach his high, his head still thrown back and fingers seeming stuck in Stan’s shoulders. The sight of Stan beneath him, all sweaty and moaning, releasing spurts of his cum, were what made Stan spill into the condom rather quickly, a low moan leaving his own lips.

Stan rocked his hips to guide them through their highs, panting the only thing to be heard after Stan pulled out slowly. Bill didn’t bother moving, only fluttering his eyes open to look at Stan. The younger one smiled a little at Bill, taking off the condom and going to toss it away in the small trash can. He knew he’d have to cover it up or hide the trash can, not really planning to let his son see, but not able to care much in that moment.

“Wanna have a quick shower?” Stan mumbled, smiling as Bill nodded and surprising himself as he easily picked the travel guide up in bridal style. Bill’s eyes widened lightly in surprise, but he gladly held onto Stan as he got carried to the bathroom and soon put down in the shower. Stan was quick to join and turn on the shower, shielding Bill’s body with his own at the cold water that came first.

Once the shower was heated up, the two of them shared the beam of water, while sneaking in kisses and sweet touches. They washed each other’s hair and Stan made Bill laugh with a stupid soap-beard, but it was all sweet and lovely. Stan was happy and so was Bill, the two of them staying close and sharing more kisses than either could count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Repeat after me: BILL IS A BOTTOM  
> 


	22. Chapter 21

_**Twenty-One** _

”Are you guys wearing underwear?” Richie’s voice cut through the silence, making Stan rub his eyes and look up, before directing his gaze towards the door. Richie’s head was peeking in, obviously pointed at the two who were laying in bed, apparently having fallen asleep at one point.

Stan hummed, looking at Bill for a moment before holding up a finger Richie’s way. Or what he figured was Richie’s way anyway. “Just a second.”

The door closed again, making Stan turn on a light and yawn, before he got up to get Bill a shirt to wear. Just so Oliver wouldn’t look at them weirdly and maybe because he didn’t really want to share Bill’s body with Richie. He picked up a shirt he knew was still clean, going over to Bill and smiling as the travel guide was still sleeping, sitting down on the bed and moving a hand through his hair. “Bill?”

Bill stirred lightly, humming and slowly waking up, taking a deep breath and rubbing his eyes. He then fluttered his eyes open, smiling sleepily as he looked up at Stan. “Hey.”

”Hi.” Stan whispered, still running a hand through the travel guide’s hair and smiling now Bill was smiling at him. He looked absolutely adorable, so sleepy. But Stan didn’t want to stretch it too long, knowing how impatient Oliver could be at times. “Richie’s right outside with Oliver. I got you a shirt, but you can stay in bed if you want.”

“No, it’s alright.” Bill sat up slowly, taking the shirt and rubbing at his eyes some more. Stan smiled a little wider, before getting up and pulling on a shirt himself, just to look a little more decent for Richie and the kids.

“Come in.” Stan told the three, as he opened the door. Oliver’s face lit up as he spotted his dad, running towards him and clinging onto his legs as soon as he could. “Daddy!”

Richie chuckled, waving it off and picking a tired Aries up then. The little girl was rubbing at her eyes and yawning, pouting a little but gladly cuddling up to her dad. “It’s okay. I’m going to put this little devil to bed and go sleep myself. We’ve got a long day ahead.”

“True.” Stan smiled, picking up Oliver and kissing the boy’s cheek, before waving at Richie and Aries. “Have a good sleep then.”

“Sleep good!” Oliver waved at them as well, smiling as he revived the same wish in return, before holding onto his dad happily and letting Stan carry him inside the room more. He turned his head and looked at Bill in surprise before smiling wide. “Mister Bill!”

Bill smiled, still a little sleepy, adding in a small wave for the boy. “Hi Oliver. Have you had fun with Richie and Aries?”

Oliver nodded and started to ramble about what they did, as Stan put him down on the bed and went to get the boy’s pajama’s. Bill had been standing beside the bed, but now sat down on the edge to talk with Oliver, smiling at the boy’s ramble.

“Sound like fun, bub.” Stan smiled, holding out the boy’s pj’s and watching his son smile at him, nodding his head. Bill hummed in agreement, smiling at Oliver’s enthusiasm. “Now, go put on your pj’s, it’s time for bed.”

Oliver hummed and got up, taking the pj’s from his dad and going to the bathroom to change. He stopped before entering it though, turning around and looking at Bill curiously. “Mister Bill stay?”

Bill looked at Stan in slight surprise at the question, unsure of what to answer. Stan simply gave the travel guide a soft smile and a soft nod, telling him he could if he wanted to. Stan had already hoped to spend the night with Bill anyway, so he didn’t mind it at all. Bill smiled back at the young dad, before nodding at Oliver. “Sure buddy. I’d love it.”

Oliver cheered, before quickly moving into the bathroom to finally get changed. Stan chuckled softly, getting down on the bed and pulling Bill a little closer, kissing his cheek. “You have both the Uris’s under your spell, huh?”

The travel guide blushed a little, but smiled, turning his head and kissing Stan softly. The move was slightly bold and surprising to Stan, but the young dad didn’t mind at all. He loved it, if anything, gladly moving a hand to cup Bill’s face while kissing him back. “Guess I do.”

The two parted, smiling at one another, both their eyes twinkling. They were soon joined by a squealing Oliver, who seemed very excited to have Bill there, gladly cuddling up to the man. Stan watched fondly, soon lying down with the two and cuddling up as well, the small boy between the two of them contently.

Morning came a little too quick for Stan, a soft pout on his face as he steeped into the shower to get ready for the day. Bill had already had his shower and was dressed, sitting on the bed and keeping Oliver entertained. The small boy was pretty hyper, even if they were leaving that day. He probably just hadn’t realized yet that they were leaving the island and going home. Heck, he had school again in a few days.

Stan was just slipping into his boxers when he heard the other two talk pretty clearly. It was only then he noticed the bathroom door was slightly ajar, but he kept quiet, listening in as he slowly got dressed. It was clear that Oliver was babbling about random things at first, a slight silence taking over before a sudden question caught probably both Stan and Bill off guard.

_“Mister Bill? Are you....going....to be my second dad? Like Ari has two?”_

Another silence hung in the room then, Stan having been frozen with his shirt in his hands, eyes locked on the bathroom door. He licked his lips and quickly pulled on his shirt once he managed to let it sink it. He fixed his hair a bit, before pulling the door more open and stepping out, taking the two in.

Bill was still sitting on the bed, staring at Oliver, who stood at the end of the bed, with his head tilted a little, eyes wide and innocent as he looked at Bill almost hopefully. Bill on the other hand, had his eyes widened in surprise, maybe even shock, looking straight at Oliver. It would have been amusing to Stan if he hadn’t heard the question. Because that had shocked him too, honestly.

“I....oh, um, I- I mean- I-“ Bill stumbled over his words, eyes locked on the small boy on the bed still, as the wheels in his head were undoubtedly turning quickly to come up with a proper answer. Stan noticed how much he was struggling, moving closer and deciding to pretend he hadn’t heard it, patting his sons head. “Go pack up the last of your things bub. Can’t have us all be late, can you?”

Oliver looked up, pouting, but deciding not to go against his dad and getting up, jumping off the bed and moving to get the last of his things together. Stan watched fondly, before sitting down on the bed as well, taking one of Bill’s hands in both of his, smiling softly. “I think you’re a bit caught off guard, hm?”

“Yeah.” Bill mumbled, his cheeks a soft pink again as he let his eyes rest on the small boy that was busy with his adorable Captain American bag. Stan hummed, moving a hand up and caressing the travel guide’s cheek, before leaning in and pecking the other’s lips, figuring he wouldn’t be too comfortable to kiss around Oliver. “It’s alright. He can be a little forward, without realizing. He’ll have forgotten about the question once I mention Richie and Aries. Don’t worry, yeah?”

The other man nodded softly, smiling a little at the young dad and returning the peck on the lips, before getting up. “I’ll go by my room real quick and then join for breakfast, alright? I can’t take too long, unfortunately I have to prepare the small meeting for later this morning and then make sure everything’s taken care of for the return flights.”

Stan poured as the man listed off things he needed to do, but he nodded, knowing it was Bill’s job. The man was technically still at work, despite what had happened last night. “Alright. We’ll see you there.”

With a soft smile, the other man stole a quick kiss from Stan, before turning to Oliver and ruffling the boy’s hair. “See you in a bit buddy.”

Oliver giggled, pushing the man’s hand out of his hair before waving at him and repeating the words ‘see you’. He then went back to making sure everything of theirs was in either the suitcase or one of their bags, proudly standing in front of his dad not much later. “Done!”

”Yeah? You have everything, bub?” Stan mumbled, picking up the boy and putting him down on his own lap, brushing the boy’s wild curls back and smiling at the soft lavender streaks in it that matched his own. The boy nodded, wrapping his arms around his dad’s torso and snuggling close. “Yes.”

Stan kissed the boy’s head then, holding him close in return and biting his lip. He wanted to ask Oliver why he had asked Bill the question so suddenly, but he didn’t want Oliver to bring it up again during breakfast. Not because he would be embarrassed, but because he figured Bill didn’t want any other parents to overhear it. And Oliver wasn’t old enough to realize the consequences it could have.

“Let’s go get breakfast, hm? I’m pretty sure Richie and Aries will be there soon too, don’t you think?” Stan said then, putting the small boy back on the floor and taking his hand after getting up himself. Oliver squealed softly, tugging his dad to the door excitedly. “Yes!”

With a soft chuckle, Stan lead his son out of the hotel room and towards the elevator, ready for the breakfast that day. It was one of the last moments he could properly spend with Bill anyway, before they’d have a small day left on the island, with a long plane ride in the late afternoon. And never before had Stan dreaded going home after a vacation this much....

—————————-

Everything went incredibly fast that day and Stan could barely believe it when he was waiting for his suitcase with a half asleep Oliver in his arms. Even the long flight had seemed like a five minute trip, despite Oliver sleeping through at least half of it and Stan himself being bored out of his mind in that time, expect whenever he got to stare at Bill.

The travel guide was going home too and considering he had to be the last to leave the island—of the traveling group—he had the late flight. Stan had chosen that one too since he had wanted the vacation to last as long as possible and to his slight disappointment, Richie and Aries had the afternoon flight. Which meant they had by far arrived back home, while Stan was stuck in a plane with nothing to do but stare at the beautiful man a few rows down.

It wasn’t a surprise that they were on the same plane, as there was only one flight from and to the island. But Stan was slightly worried about the distance breaking them apart already. The possible distance of their homes. What if Bill lived across the country? Or worse, not even in the same country! For some reason, it worried Stan to no end. The whole idea of Bill slowly slipping through his fingers after this.

“Daddy?” Oliver mumbled softly, right as Stan spotted their suitcase. The young dad hummed, putting his tired son down for a moment to grab the suitcase, before looking down at the little boy. “Home?”

“Yeah, bub. We’re nearly home. Just a little longer and you can sleep in your own bed again.” Stan sighed softly, kneeling down and rubbing the small boy’s sides. “Think you can stay awake until we’re at the car, hm? Can you do that for me, bub?”

The small boy yawned, but then nodded, holding his dad’s hand and gazing up at him tiredly. Stan smiled down at him, before he looked around. He noticed most of the people of their flight and especially of the trip had left already, probably eager to get home. There was one person left though, that Stan recognized easily and was glad to, approaching him. “Bill.”

The travel guide’s head moved up from the suitcase he had just pulled from the moving belt and put down, a soft, mostly tired smile on his face. “Bill?”

“I know it might not be the very best moment, but we haven’t really had a chance to talk about what we want. For the future, I mean.” Stan said honestly, with the knowledge none of the parents from the trip were around. It was just Bill and him, with a few random people from the flight dotted around and slowly moving out. The travel guide seemed a little surprise by the question, but a soft smile spread across his face again. “It’s not the best moment no, but I’m sure we can wing it.”

The laugh that left the older man at his own words made Stan’s eyes nearly widen, a smile spreading on his own face at the sound. He loved it, his heart fluttering and his hands itching to hold Bill. But they were a bit occupied and besides, Stan wouldn’t want to make Bill uncomfortable.

“Well, I’m winging it now then and asking for your number, so I can text you later with details for a date?” Stan spoke boldly, his eyes undoubtedly sparkling with hope as his heart was beating rapidly against his rib cage. It was silent then, with Bill’s surprised face returning. Even Oliver stayed quiet, the boy so near sleep he wasn’t even following the conversation. Stan knew he would have asked many questions otherwise, but he was secretly a little glad he wasn’t. He was too tired to multitask at the moment.

“You are one interesting man, Uris.” The travel guide teased, a wide smile spreading across his face again as even dimples appeared this time. Stan felt giddy then, whether that was because he was dead tired or because of Bill, or even both, he didn’t care. He loved it and he loved Bill’s face and he had to stop himself from rambling about what he loved in his mind.

The travel guide finally handed over his phone, his private phone, and let Stan enter his number. He send a text to the young dad right after, so Stan had his too, and then kissed the dark haired’s cheek. “I’ll see you soon again, Stan.”

“See you soon again.” Stan mumbled in return, grinning like a lovesick fool, and watching happily as Bill bend down to Oliver’s head, smiling softly at how the boy was so sleepy. “See you soon again, little man. Take care of your dad, yeah?”

“Yes, Mister Bill.” The boy mumbled sleepily, letting himself fall against the man and wrapping his free arm around the man. He wouldn’t dare to let go his dad’s hand, afraid he might lose him while being this sleepy. Stan simply kept a hold of the small hand, watching fondly and feeling his heart swell.

“Sleep well, buddy.” Bill mumbled, before he got back up and faced Stan one more time. He couldn’t seem to help himself as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around Stan’s neck, kissing the young dad deeply. Stan smiled against the other’s lips, his free arm wrapping around Bill’s waist as he reveled in the moment.

He wasn’t ready to let go, if he was honest, but he had to go home. Oliver was tired and it wasn’t to him if Stan would keep Bill close and keep their lips together. He wanted to, but he knew to think with his brain at times too. So, reluctantly, the two said their goodbyes and Stan walked to the car with his little boy. Oliver was still so far near sleep he hadn’t even bothered to look up and catch his dad with the travel guide. All he knew was that Bill had said goodbye and he was happy, because the man had thought of him and that was good.


	23. Chapter 22

_**Twenty-Two** _

The day was dreary, much like how Stan felt on the inside. He felt terrible and all he wanted to do was frown and watch sappy love-drama’s or eat ice cream, for some odd reason. He didn’t like it at all, especially because he had to keep faking smiles for Oliver. One sad frown and the boy would be all over him, sad too. And if anything brought Stan down even more, it would be a sad Oliver.

”Daddy!” The boy yelled out, a soft thump sounding from his room, before feet were padding down the hallway. Stan looked up curiously, waiting for the little boy to make his appearance. He soon did, giggling as he ran at his dad and clung to his legs. “Done!”

“Let me have a good look first bub.” Stan spoke, slightly teasing as he waited for the boy to let go. Oliver soon did and stepped back, showing off his outfit, which he had pulled on all by himself. Stan smiled proudly ignoring the fact his socks weren’t matching and pulling the little boy into a hug. “Very well done. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank daddy.” The boy mumbled, his smile sensible against Stan’s skin. He rubbed the boy’s back lightly, before letting go. He got back up and picked up the boy’s shoes, holding them out. “Now these.”

Oliver whined, pulling them on before looking at his dad with a pout. He couldn’t tie them properly himself yet, having tried multiple times but so far failing. Stan told him it would come by time and Oliver believed his dad, still continuing to try whenever the man wouldn’t see. Stan knew, but he didn’t comment on it, wanting Oliver to do it as he pleased.

“I’m sure Richie will love your shirt, bub. Did you choose it on purpose?” Stan poked the boy’s belly softly and playfully, smiling at the soft giggle he got before he focused on tying the laces together. “Yes. But also like.”

Finishing with the boy’s shoelaces, Stan got back up and took in how adorable the boy looked in the band shirt Richie had gotten him. Apparently it was a tradition in the Tozier-Kaspbrak household to give the kids a little present too, whenever someone had their birthday. And considering it had been Richie’s birthday and the man apparently saw Oliver as his family, in some way, he had given the boy a band shirt. Stan had rolled his eyes, but smiled, finding the gift very typically Richie.

That day Stan had also finally met the other dad, Eddie. It had been slightly odd and Eddie had been slightly rude at first, apparently seeing Stan as some kind of threat to his relationship with Richie. But all that was cleared up when Eddie had overheard Richie’s teasing about a certain travel guide and Eddie had sheepishly apologized to the dark haired male. And even if Richie hadn’t been there when Eddie basically confessed he still felt something for Richie, Stan obviously was and he was more than glad to hear his best friend’s feeling were reciprocated.

Today Stan was just bringing Oliver by Richie’s for a play date with Aries, so he could talk to the other male. He had been needing that for a while and considering both their slightly busy work-schedules, they hadn’t had an earlier opportunity. And if there was anything Stan needed right then, it was to talk to someone. Vent. Let all his emotions out.

Driving the car with an excited, bouncing kid next to you was something Stan would never really get used to. He loved it though, considering he loved seeing Oliver happy and especially this happy. The boy hadn’t seen his newest best friend in a while and obviously that made him even more excited. Even if Stan was quiet convinced the boy would always be this excited when going to see his ‘bestest friend’(his own words).

“There yet?” Oliver asked happily, smiling wide and looking out the side and front window in the hopes to spot the insanely big house that was Richie’s. It wasn’t too crazy, but to Stan, it was insanely big. After all, Stan lived in a small apartment for now and thus to him basically anything was big.

“Almost bub. Just a few minutes left.” The dark haired male mumbled, glancing at the boy before focusing back on the road. There were some big houses left and right, soon one familiar one popping up on the right. Oliver squealed as he recognized the silver gate, bouncing in his seat again and watching his dad stop the car, roll down the window and press some kind of buttons on the wall. 

A crackling voice spoke some words the little boy didn’t understand, whether that was because the voice crackled too much or whether it was because he was too excited, he didn’t mind. All he really cared about was the gate opening and his dad driving the car down the driveway. The big white-brown house came closer and closer, until Stan parked the car and let the two of them out.

”Yay!” The small boy cheered, grabbing his dad’s hand and pulling the man towards the front door, barely giving him time to lock the car. Not that he thought his car would be unsafe here, considering the big grounds and probably way more valuable things inside the house. Stan almost felt like a bad parent with how sad his apartment was in comparison.

After ringing the doorbell and waiting for a few seconds, the door got open and a squealing Aries ran out to hug Oliver. Richie stood in the doorway—having been the one to open the heavy door—and watched fondly, as did Stan. The two kids were off quickly, squabbling about whatever they were going to do, leaving the adults to themselves.

“Come on in.” Richie smiled softly, opening the door wider and allowing Stan to step in. The dark haired male pulled off his shoes, since that was a thing in the house, and followed Richie to the kitchen. “I figured something to drink would be nice as we talked, yeah?”

Stan hummed, nodding softly. “Yeah, sure.”

”Anything specific? Tea? Coffee? Soda?” Richie glanced back at Stan, who shrugged, before mumbling a soft ‘water’s fine’ and leaving Richie to fill up a glass with water. He got himself some soda, before handing Stan his glass and gesturing for the other to follow him again. Stan did wordlessly, sipping his water and looking around the house, much like he did any time he was here.

The two were quiet as Richie lead them in to the living room, where the comfy, brown couches were placed. Richie plopped down on the one side, sipping his drink before putting it down on the wooden coffee table. Stan sat down on the other side of the couch, two of the throw pillows behind his back in a pleasant way, his glass soon joining Richie’s.

“Now tell me. You sounded a bit stressed on the phone...”Richie gazed at his friend with concern, a pout nearly on his lips. Stan sighed, rubbing his face. “I’m not necessarily stressed. Just....had a lot of time to think this week and it got to me that it’s been almost two months and I’m still not over it. Not over him...”

Richie pulled a sympathetic face, leaning in and patting the other’s shoulder softly, making Stan look at him, rather sadly. “It’s okay Stan. Heck, I wasn’t over Eddie ten months later. Everyone has their own pace.”

”I know. But I feel so selfish that I want him back. That I want him to live with me and be here.” Stan mumbled, still having that sad, puppy face. Then again, it was like yesterday when his heart got broken by the blue eyed travel guide. The one that lit up so many of his days, so easily. And once he had truly been able to take Bill out on dates, well, that only sparked more of the beginning love. 

••••••••••••

_”Stan?” Bill had his eyebrows furrowed, a sad look on his face and eyes focused on the hazel ones across from him. The dark haired male had looked up, smiling softly at the other and approaching him happily, about to wrap his arms around the older’s waist. But Bill had stopped him, pushing him away slightly and tugging on the shirt he had been wearing then almost nervously. “I can’t do this.”_

_The words felt like an electric shock to Stan, his body freezing for a moment, only to step back once he could move again. He felt his heart plummet down and his throat tighten, the miserable tone to Bill’s words hurting him like he couldn’t imagine anything hurting. “W-what? What do you mean? What are you talking about Bill?”_

_“I’m talking about us, Stan. You and me. I-I love the time we’ve spend together and I like you so much it hurts. But I’m not ready. I’m not ready to give up my job and it won’t work with me being across the globe each day. I’ll be home so little and I can’t do that to you and Oliver. It’s for the best.” Bill explained, the slight waver to his tone the only thing Stan could make out that gave away Bill wasn’t as unaffected by it as he seemed at first look._

_“You can’t do this. If you liked me so much, you would try to make it work! You’d give me a chance to make the days you are home the best and you’d skype me and Oliver, call us and text us. You can’t just walk out like that.” Stan heard his voice break somewhere along the second sentence, his body giving him so many mixed signals he was starting to feel a little sick. Sick from the sadness of Bill leaving. After all the time they had spent together, so close._

_Bill stayed silent for a bit, his sad eyes focused on Stan, who was quite obviously tearing up. Stan felt weak then, but he didn’t care. He realized he kind of needed Bill in his life. It wouldn’t be the same without him, not nearly as happy. He didn’t forget about Oliver, of course. That little ray of sunshine made the young dad happier than anything. But so did Bill, in his own way. And it was something Stan didn’t know he had been missing until now. And he wasn’t ready to lose it.  
_

_”I’m sorry Stan.”_

_•••••••••••_  
  


Details might have been different, but Stan remembered those words and that sad look all too good, right before Bill gathered the little stuff he had left at Stan’s and leaving the silent apartment. Leaving Stan alone, with nothing but heartbreak and his thoughts.

Things had spiraled from then, bad thoughts invading Stan’s mind, like if he had done something wrong and if he could have prevented this. But before they could get too bad, his mom was ringing the doorbell and bringing Oliver back after the night he had spent with his beloved grandparents. For privacy, obviously.

Ever since, Stan had been talking to Richie about it a lot and trying to get on with his life, spending as much time with Oliver as he could. After all, the boy really did make him happy and even if he misbehaved at times, he always brought a smile to Stan’s face in the end.

“Daddy!” A squealing Oliver jumped onto the young dad’s lap, giggling and holding onto him like a kola. Stan sighed softly as he was pulled out of his memories and swirling thoughts, smiling automatically and holding the boy tight, glancing at Richie. The curly haired male smiled softly, patting the other’s knee before looking at the little girl a little further away, who was watching Oliver and his dad with a smile. “Come here little devil.”

The two heard Aries’ squeals in the background, while Oliver pulled his face back to look at his dad, smiling happily. The man chuckled, kissing the boy’s nose and looking at him fondly. “Why the sudden hug, bub?”

Oliver hummed, keeping his arms around his dad’s neck and smiling a littler sadder. “Aries said daddy looked sad. Said her daddies like hugs when sad.”

A soft, slightly sad but mostly fond, smile overtook the young’s dad face, his eyes nearly tearing up from how sweet it was. He chuckled softly, pulling the boy back into another tight hug, whispering: “Thank you, bubba. I love you.”

”Love too Daddy.” Oliver hummed, snuggling close to his dad in content and staying silent then. The two stayed close like that, only chuckling and giggling when a squealing Aries was brought back into the living room by Richie. Oliver looked up, though stayed close to his dad and watched with a big smile as Aries tried to escape Richie’s hug, while the dad pouted and complained about wanting love.

“Daddy feel better?” The small boy asked quietly after a while, having been quiet while watching Richie tickle Aries, before they all had decided on a movie, his eyes now focused on his dad though. The man looked down, smiling softly at the hopeful face of his son, kissing the boy’s forehead softly. “I always feel better when you’re with me bub. Especially when you give me those great hugs.”

The boy smiled incredibly wide at those words, wrapping his arms back around the other’s neck and hugging him tight once again. Stan groaned playfully, smiling anyway and holding the boy close again. Oliver giggled softly against his neck and Stan felt his heart jump at the sound. He knew it was okay to be sad over Bill leaving and hurt, but he had the reminder in the form of a small boy that everything would be fine again. With or without Bill. Even if Stan would probably always prefer with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but I had to hit y’all with the breakup😔👊🏽


	24. Chapter 23

_**Twenty-Three** _

_”No, stop!” Bill squealed, his head thrown back and arms flailing, trying to slap Stan’s hands away from his sides. The younger one had found out he was ticklish and hadn’t let it go. He had poked the older’s side multiple times that day, just to get a squeak out of him, but he had surprise-attacked him right before they would start to cook dinner._

_Bill hadn’t expected it at all, despite all the sneak attacks through the day, and had eventually fallen to the floor. Stan had simply followed and straddled him then, continuing to assault his sides with his fingers. “Mercy!”_

_The dark haired male was laughing at the way Bill would shriek, squeal and laugh, tears pooling in the beautiful blue eyes. All attempts Bill was making to push Stan off were futile, the younger not easy with giving up. He paused though, his fingers still hovering just a little away from the older’s side. “What’s the magic word?”_

_“Pancakes!” Oliver yelled happily from the counter, having been watching and giggling the whole time. The older male looked confused at the small boy, obviously not getting why that had to be the magic word. Stan simply chuckled, looking up at the small boy shortly, before back at the male beneath him. He wasn’t getting a response, so he pressed his fingers back into the other’s sides._

_A shriek left Bill’s lips again, his hands slapping more properly at Stan’s hands now. Teary eyes meeting Stan’s playful gaze. “Pancakes! Pancakes!”_

_Stan chuckled as he sat back, hands falling to his sides and breathing slightly faster than normal. Bill’s was incredibly fast though, his chest heaving up and down with his pants, head falling back as he groaned. “That’s going to ache later.”_

_”Not my fault. You could have said the magic word earlier.” Stan teased, grinning as Bill’s head moved back up and a playful glare was sent his way. “If you would have told me the magic word beforehand!”_

_“You could have guessed.” Stan shrugged, still grinning as he got up, holding a hand out for the older to take. Bill did so and let himself be pulled up by the younger, huffing softly and punching his shoulder once he was back on his feet. “I would have guessed the simple ‘please’.”_

_“Pancakes!” Oliver cheered again, grinning at the two. Stan shook his head, but smiled, moving to the small boy and kissing his cheek. “Is that you confirming that’s the magic word or are you saying you want that?”_

_”Want. Can eat?” And the pout that was on the small boy’s face was nearly irresistible for both. They had to get some supplies from the nearest supermarket though, but that was fine. Oliver couldn’t wish for more as he walked in-between two of his favorite adults—his grandparents and Richie being the other’s—holding both their hands in his own with a smile._

It was one of the many memories that made Stan sad, a soft frown on his face as he heated up some pancakes in the pan. He could have put them in the microwave as well, but he figured warning them up in a pan made it seem more like he was actually putting effort in it. He was already glad Oliver wasn’t here to eat the things, as they definitely couldn’t beat home made ones. And considering Stan couldn’t really make pancakes to save his life, Oliver would have questioned about Bill and Stan wasn’t ready to answer more of those questions. Not if it meant that Oliver would undoubtedly end up crying again.

He remembered the night he had to tell Oliver that the blue eyed man wasn’t going to read a bedtime story with him, since he wouldn’t be back. Probably ever, but Stan regretted those words the second Oliver had burst out in tears. The boy had even asked if it was his fault and Stan had never felt more heartbroken than in that moment.

After nearly an hour of comforting and reassuring the boy that it was most definitely not his fault, he had gotten Oliver to sleep and had taken an incredibly long and hot shower to relax himself before sleep. If he could sleep, but he had dearly hoped so. Even if no night was like before, without Bill there.

They were simple nights, Bill sharing the bed with him for the umpteenth time, without planning to. They would roll over at some point and cuddle close, usually with either Bill’s head tucked beneath Stan’s chin, or with his back pressed to the younger’s front, being the small spoon. Stan didn’t care how they slept, as long as he could touch Bill in some way. Whether that was an arm around the waist, a hand on his side, or even a finger in his hair. It made him relax like nothing else.

_“Are you asleep?” Bill had whispered one night, eyes sparkling in the little light that came into the room through a slight opening between the curtains. Stan hummed and rolled over, smiling softly as that caused their noises to touch, his eyes fluttering open to meet Bill’s. “Yes.”_

_Bill rolled his eyes, but a slightly wide smile made his lips curl up. “Idiot.”_

_”You love me.” Stan teased, wrapping his arm around the other’s waist and pulling him closer. Bill let him, pushing a leg over both of Stan’s and then between them, tangling them together. A soft hum left the younger at that, his eyes fluttering closed again as he let his forehead lean against the other’s, lips pulled up lightly in a permanent smile._

_“I’m sorry. I must be keeping you up.” Came from the older then, in mumbled words. The younger’s eyebrows furrowed together, eyes shooting open and fixating on the other’s, which were casted downwards now. “No, you’re not. I’m up either way, whether you’re talking to me or sleeping.”_

_“How? It’s nearly three in the morning.” Bill whispered, it now being his turn to furrow his eyebrows together, eyes meeting Stan’s with worry. The young dad chuckled softly, his lips meeting Bill’s shortly. “I used to have to get up around this time to feed or change a crying baby. Never really broke that habit. I usually make myself some hot chocolate at this time to fall asleep again._

_Bill hummed then, smiling fondly. “That’s cute.”_

_A soft blush covered the younger’s cheeks even if neither could see it in this little light. Stan simply kept quiet, pulling the other in for a soft kiss. Bill accepted it easily, pressing his bare chest with Stan’s and letting his hands find the other’s tousled hair. Soft tugs were given it, while lips moved together and soft pants were breathed out in between._

_Not a lot more words were shared that early in the morning, just sweet kisses and sweet touches, ending with cuddles and sleep. It was the best early morning Stan had in a while, even if now, he looked back to the early morning with the crying Oliver as fond memories. They had been incredibly tiring, but way more than worth it._

The doorbell ringing brought Stan out of haze of memories and back into the present, the young dad rubbing his eyes and disposing of his then empty plate, before moving to the door. He made sure to ruffle his hair a little and to see if it looked decent in the mirror near the door, before actually opening the door. “Daddy!”

A small boy ran at him and Stan bend down just in time to accept the familiar hug properly, picking Oliver up and smiling as the boy giggled. He earned himself a kiss to the cheek, before gazing up at his dad happily. The young male chuckled softly, before turning his attention to the man who had joined Oliver. “Hey Richie.”

“Hey.” The curly haired male greeted back, smiling softly. He held up a bag, before holding it out to the small boy. “No peeking.”

Stan playfully closed his eyes smiling. “I won’t. I promise.”

”Daddy, down.” Oliver giggled, waiting for his dad to put him down before he ran off with the bag, probably to hide it in his room. Stan looked back at Richie, narrowing his eyes lightly. “You didn’t do anything crazy, did you?”

The man rolled his eyes, but smiled, showing he meant well. “Of course not. He picked it out all by himself and even managed to get his numbers correct, so he could watch the price himself. He’s growing up too fast.”

Richie wiped away an invisible tear, even if he was still smiling. Stan chuckled, shrugging lightly. “He picks up on things real quick. He’s just very smart.”

“He definitely is.” Richie hummed in agreement. “Well, I should be going again. Got some work left at home, which I can finally work on now that my precious little devil is annoying her other dad.”

Stan chuckled at the playful words Richie spoke, the loving smile on the older’s face giving away he loved his daughter more than he would let on at times. But Stan knew that was just Richie. He was odd, but in one of the best ways. After all, he just took Oliver shopping for a gift, since Stan’s birthday was coming up. It was both their ideas considering Oliver wanted to give his dad something, but keep it a surprise and Richie needed help finding something for Stan. Even if Stan had insisted he didn’t need anything.

“How are things with you and him though?” Stan asked then, genuinely curious. After all, summer was over, graduation had been months ago and Richie rarely spoke about how it was between him and Eddie. That while Stan basically didn’t shut up about his heartache.

Richie seemed taken by surprise, a soft blush spreading across his cheeks and make the younger’s eyes widen. “Richie, you tell me now!”

A groan was the first Stan got at his half playful, mostly serious words. He then got a pout, to which he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, tapping his foot jokingly. Another groan followed before Richie sighed and spoke rather quietly, almost looking shy. “We talked a lot, went on a date or two to see if we really want it back. And....I might have been planning a big date as our next to ask him back.”

Stan gasped, nearly squealing as he hugged the older male tightly. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks.” Richie chuckled, hugging the younger dad back and sighing in content, burying his face in Stan’s neck for a moment. They both let themselves drown in the comfort for a moment, before they were back to facing each other with a good amount of distance. “So? Ask him back how? Will you start easy? Propose right away? Where are your plans going?”

Richie chuckled at the storm of questions falling from Stan’s lips, fluffing his own hair up a little. “I was thinking to take it easy. I don’t want to overwhelm him, nor push us back into it too fast. I can’t go through the heartbreak again, honestly. Not so fast.”

Stan nodded in understanding, smiling softly. “I really am happy for you, Richie. I wish you both the best and I’m rooting for the two of you.”

”Thanks dude. I really appreciate everything.” Richie said with a soft chuckle, before he got the softest smile Stan had seen so far. It made Richie look younger and adorable, instead of the hot and cocky like he normally was.

The two said their goodbyes soon after, with Stan venturing back into the house to go find Oliver, only to find the young boy already in his pajamas. It was a light surprise, but he figured Richie had done some wonder talk. Richie was really good in that and Stan had always tried to remember to ask Richie how in the world he did it.

Right now he just walked into the boy’s room, sitting down on his bed with him and kissing his head. “Found a good hiding is place for it buddy?”

“Yes.” Oliver giggled, pulling his covers up higher to cuddle into them, leaning on his dad. “Now story?”

“Of course.” Stan agreed, picking up the book the boy had already laid down on his nightstand. To Stan’s sadness, it was the book he always read together with Bill, for the small boy. Bill had the perfect way to do one of the character’s voices and Stan wasn’t nearly as good at story telling. But he tried. He tried for his boy and it seemed that Oliver appreciated that. He even told his dad that he had loved it before falling into a peaceful sleep. While Stan was left wondering how long it would take for peace, up in his mind and down in his heart. 

When would it get better?


	25. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my new story called “Baby Hungry” it’s a Reddie Mpreg fic, also I will post the epilogue probably this weekend

_**Twenty-Four** _

A slow day, with happy music and a vacuum cleaner in his hands was something Stan needed. Not that he liked cleaning the house that much, but he did need those times where it could be just him. Just him, somewhat loud music and a little dance while sucking up crumbles with the device.

Oliver was with his grandparents for the day so Stan could have a day to himself. He took use of that by giving the apartment a good sweep and going through easy recipes to pick something he could cook himself. Oliver would be back before dinner and even if Stan figured he wouldn’t eat much—since his mom loved to spoil the boy with food—he would still eat something. And it had to be nice, because he deserved that. Even if it was easy.

So he went to the supermarket and got some groceries, packing them away and nodding his head softly to the music in the background, which was playing again. He couldn’t even help himself as he danced to the beat while putting away the new cartoon of orange juice he had bought and the box of cornflakes.

The ringing doorbell snapped Stan out of his dancing, his head moving up as he thought about who it could be. Maybe the postman but he hadn’t ordered anything. Then again, his birthday was right around the corner, so maybe someone had send him something that arrived a little too early. Maybe his sister, he then realizes, considering she still wasn’t sure if she could come to the small birthday party he was throwing. Or rather, Richie was throwing for him.

Stan had wanted a simple day, preferably just with his parents, sister, Oliver and then Richie with Eddie and Aries, if they wanted. But no, Richie had to plan out a whole party, get decorations, force everyone to buy gifts and even go as far as ordering a cake. One they probably wouldn’t finish with how big it undoubtedly would be, but Richie would probably just take it home and eat it by himself in the course of the days following. Stan was already happy that Richie hadn’t gone crazy with inviting random people.

Snapping himself out of his daze, Stan reached out for the door knob, momentarily stopping to look in the mirror and make sure he looked at least decent, before opening the door. After having pushed the dark wooden door to the side and looking up, Stan felt all the air leave his lungs. His eyes were widened and staring straight into a slightly dull, blue pair. A pair Stan had fallen in love with, without a doubt. “Bill....”

The male across from him swallowed when hearing his name leave the other’s lips, seeming unsure of what to say. Stan felt at a loss for words as well, breathlessly letting his eyes move over Bill and taking him in. As if he would disappear any moment. As if this was just a hallucination.

The travel guide looked just as always, Stan realized, just a little...sadder. He had gained a little more muscles as it seemed and there was a slight scruff on his jaw and chin. His hair was a little shorter and his skin seemed the slightest bit more tan. But his eyes, his eyes were dull and sad. They remained Stan of a dreary day, rather than love.

”Stan.” Bill finally forced out, his voice a whisper and hands lacing together in front of him, eyes casting downwards. The younger male had to fight the whole of his being to not jump the older male and hug him tightly, wanting nothing but to cuddle and comfort him. The man seemed so hurt and Stan just wanted to make it all better. Kiss him all better.

“Can we talk?” The travel guide finally managed to say, eyes flickering up to Stan’s before back down. As if he was afraid to look at Stan too long. As if he was ashamed of what he had done. Now Stan thought about it, he reminded him of a guilty of child. “Y-yeah. Sure.”

Opening his door wider and stepping aside, Stan allowed the older male inside. He was suddenly glad he had done some grocery shopping and had cleaned the place. If he had to say, Bill couldn’t have chosen a better time to come visit. Even if Stan wasn’t quite sure yet why he was here. Nor how long he would be staying.

Stan guided them to the couch, still taking the other in. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“No, thank you.” Bill mumbled, shaking his head and finally looking up at Stan. The young dad nodded and sat down on the couch with Bill, resisting the urge to take one of the other’s hand in both of his own. Bill sighed softly and fiddled with his shirt, keeping his eyes on Stan. Not always his eyes, but just Stan. “I came to talk about us.”

Us.

_Us._

Was this the line Stan needed? Was this going to be his closure, or would it only be harder after this? Was he doing the right thing to have Bill here and talk with him? Was Bill going to hurt him again, on purpose even? Or was this really just a clearing talk?

”What...what about us?” Stan managed to ask, biting the inside of his lower lip as he watched Bill shift on the couch. The older male seemed to be thinking about his words, as if he wanted to speak his thoughts perfectly, to make sure Stan understood every one of his words. Finally, Bill spoke, with a slight waver to his tone: “I made a mistake.”

Those four words made all of the thoughts in Stan’s head shatter into tiny pieces of a mirror, reflecting the same word over and over again in his mind. _What?_

”I made a mistake walking out on you.” Bill clarified after a solid minute of silence, his hands holding the hem of his shirt tightly as he looked Stan right in the eye. “On the both of you. You were giving me what I needed and I walked away, because I was scared. I was scared that without my job as a travel guide, I would be nowhere. But being away from you, back on those trips, I realized that what I had here, had overshadowed my job by far. The happiness that I got from being here, with you, was unbeatable. The trips couldn’t even come near.”

Stan was stunned, the air once again leaving his lungs all at once. His heart skipped a beat before speeding up and pounding against his ribs almost painfully. But love was worth any pain, especially the pain from his heart beating so fast. He wasn’t sure if he felt happiness or if he felt something completely different. But his dream was coming true. Bill was here. Telling him he couldn’t bear the thought of being without them.

“I-I know I messed up. Big time.” Bill continued, once there had been a short silence again, his hands still clenched around his shirt. “But....I..I don’t know if it’s foolish to do, but I’m hoping you can find it in you to give me a second chance. To let me prove to you that I mean all of it. To let me make it up to you in each and every way.”

His heart skipped another beat then, Stan feeling his hands become slightly clammy and his eyes neatly tearing up. It was really happening. Bill wanted him back. He had come back, rung his doorbell and laid down all his feelings. For Stan to either step on, or pick up and return. The whole of their future was in his hands. Whether they would be together, or if he had to break Bill’s heart, like the older had done to him.

“P-please, say something...” Bill whispered eventually, his eyes tearing up and body slumping lightly. It made Stan snap out of his twirling thoughts, his heart aching from how terribly insecure Bill looked in that moment. It was so unlike him and Stan couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Bill out of his touch for another second. So without any words, Stan moved closer, brought the older’s face closer with a hand on the back of his head, and pushed their lips together.

Bill jumped lightly at the sudden action, tensed at first and seeming to have trouble to process what was going on. But once Stan kissed him a little harder, nearly more desperate, Bill relaxed into the touch and let his shirt go, in order to fist Stan’s instead. He returned the kiss. But Stan didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything in that moment, except for the thought that Bill was back with him. Bill was back in his touch. Bill was back.

“I’m so sorry I left.” Bill whispered with a soft crack in his voice, once the two had pulled back a little, both their eyes closed and foreheads pressed together. They hadn’t moved otherwise, Stan’s hand still on the back of Bill’s head and Bill’s still twisted up in his shirt. And then, Stan did something he didn’t think he would do anytime soon again.

He started crying.

All the emotions were overwhelming. The pain he felt from when Bill had left him. The pain Bill had felt. The happiness that was overflowing him, from Bill being back and wanting to be his again. The happiness that Oliver would incredibly happy again. These and more. They hit him like a speeding train and pushed the tears from eyes without permission.

Falling against the other, Stan tried to stop himself. He couldn’t believe he was ruining this amazing moment with his snotty nose and wet face. But to his surprise, now his chest was pressed to Bill’s and the older’s hands were clenching the back of his shirt instead of the front, he felt the other’s body shock against his own. And once he opened his eyes a little in-between the crying, he noticed Bill was crying too. Silently, that was, but he was crying too.

“Shit, I’m not hurting you, am I?” Stan rushed out, getting up again so he wasn’t crushing Bill beneath him. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes quickly, realizing Bill still hadn’t let go of his shirt and had been pulled up into a sitting position with him. The older one shook his head, burying it in Stan’s shirt and making Stan shiver lightly as he felt his shirt dampen from the tears that had been on Bill’s cheeks.

Snapped out of his crying, Stan felt himself calm down, finally. He took a deep breath, holding Bill close and rubbing his back, leaning his own head on the other’s. He closed his eyes and decided to enjoy the moment despite how thick his throat, nose and eyes felt from the small crying fit he just had.

“S-Stan?” Bill eventually whispered, his voice cracking lightly. The younger male pulled back just a little, looking down at Bill, who suddenly seemed incredibly small in his arms. Puffy, blue eyes were starting up at him, a soft sniffle heard as Stan moved a hand up to wipe the last of the tears away. Bill had stopped crying too, even if there were still some tears left on his cheeks. “Yeah?”

”What—what does this mean?”

The question made Stan think for a moment to find the right words. He knew what he wanted and he knew what Bill wanted, because he had made that clear. He wanted Stan back and as much as Stan would want to just dive back into it, he had to stay strong. He had to make Bill work for it. After all, who said he wouldn’t just run off again?

“I...I missed you too. A lot. I don’t think my heart has ever been broken like that and I don’t want that again. But I’m willing to give you that chance. I’m willing to let you prove the truth behind your words. That you’re really here to stay and make us work.” Stan finally spoke, the words leaving him as if he had practiced them a thousand times before, even if this was the first time he was really speaking them.

Bill seemed incredibly relieved to hear them, his eyes lighting up and for the first time that day, seeming more like that love again. The love Stan remembered. “Yeah, I will. I promise you, I’ll do my best to prove to you that I’m serious about this.”

Stan was surprised when the older seized his face and kissed him deeply, but he didn’t complain. They were both emotional messes and they needed each other in that moment. No matter what the past had brought, this was the present and the beginning of their future.

“Come on. Let’s get cleaned up, alright? I gotta get cooking before Oliver comes home.” Stan mumbled, rubbing Bill’s back. The older sighed softly, looking nearly shy as he looked into the other’s soft brown eyes. “Is it bad that I don’t want to let you go?”

A chuckle left the young dad, who pecked the other’s lips and smiled wide at him. “You won’t have to. We can stick together. Take a shower, get redressed and get cooking. All together.”

The words seemed to make Bill perk up, a smile on his face as well, before he kissed Stan deeply another time. Stan simply smiled and let him again, kissing him back with love. He felt incredibly happy and he nearly thought it wouldn’t get better. But it did and he could have seen that coming.

The lock clinking took the attention of the two touchy males in the kitchen, who were just finishing off the food and plating it up. Just in time, because the soft voice of Stan’s mother was quick to sound through the apartment. “Stan, honey?”

“In the kitchen, mom!” Stan replied, finishing off the plating and turning to the door opening, smiling when seeing his mom appear. Oliver was in her arms, seeming to be dozing off with his head on her shoulder. However, the second his tired brown eyes focused on Bill, they widened and all energy seemed to return to him. “Bill!”

Squirming to get down, Oliver seemed to be fully awake, racing to the man the second his little feet touched the kitchen floor. Bill had bend down and welcomed the little boy with open arms, hugging him back tightly once he was close enough. Oliver squealed softly, wrapping his legs around the man as well and holding him like a kola.

Stan’s mom rose an eyebrow, but kept quiet, obviously letting Stan know it was a conversation for another time. And Stan was glad, just wanting to enjoy this moment before he would get back to reality. He hugged his mom, thanked her for babysitting Oliver for the day and gave her a kiss on the cheek before she left. Bill said a soft, nearly shy goodbye to her too, while Oliver waved at her before going back to hugging the man tightly.

“Alright, alright. We got to eat some dinner bub. You can hug Bill more afterwards, if he agrees.” Stan nearly had said ‘if he stays,’ but he figured everyone would take that badly. So he had been quick to change his words and add a soft smile, just so Bill would know he meant everything well. The older man didn’t seem to notice any possible harm in any words, putting the small boy down and leading him over to the dining table with a plate. Stan took the other two plates, following, and sitting down with Oliver at the head. Stan was on his right and Bill on the left, making the two adults face each other.

And as they ate the well worked out spaghetti that evening, it was just as if nothing had happened. It was like old times again, with Stan smiling whenever Bill was listening attentively to Oliver’s stories. With the two adults laughing whenever Oliver said or did something funny. And with Bill’s feet feeling for Stan’s, to lock their ankles together beneath the table, to be touching in some way. It was just like before, with smiles and happy beating hearts.


	26. Epilogue

_**Epilogue** _

There was pastel colored balloons around the living room, with some streamers going from one side to another. There was some confetti on the wooden floor and even some was stuck in the soft, unpatterned beige rug beneath the coffee table, which was filled with glasses, empty or filled, and bowls with snacks.

Wrapping paper was thrown around by the giggling children that were running around, chasing one another to tag them. Adults kept scolding them and telling them to take it into the backyard, but it was cold out and the kids rather stayed close to their parents. Especially in Oliver’s case.

It was his dad’s birthday after all and his little sister hadn’t been long enough in his life to become seen as annoying. Not that he could ever imagine that, but his friends kept promising it would come. After all, they had a younger sibling of their own. But Oliver loved his little sister so far, because she made his parents happy and that was one of the most important things to him. Even now, being seven, nearly eight, and definitely beginning to rebel a little.

”Oliver, slow down. We can’t have you hurt yourself or anyone else.” Stan’s mom scolded the boy, making him stop and pout up at the woman. Despite him being slightly rebellious, his grandma always got to him. Stan always joked and called it the gift of a women, but they all knew it was because he just had a hard time telling the boy no.

“Fine.” The boy whined softly, slumping his shoulders and finally deciding to join his dads on the couch. Bill was leaning against Stan lightly, a hand on the younger’s thigh and face directed towards Eddie, talking happily to the other male. Stan was bottle-feeding the newest addition to their family, their one and a half month old daughter; Amira Grace.

Stan and Bill had been ecstatic when Richie and Eddie had proposed for them to do it their way, which meant the DNA-mixing and getting a child of your own. Stan had been slightly hesitant, considering he already had Oliver but he wanted Bill happy and he knew Bill missed his daughter. So in the hopes to get a daughter, Stan agreed and the process began. It was long and dreadful, but eventually they had their beautiful daughter, naming her after both Bill’s deceased daughter and Stan’s deceased ex.

They weren’t even two months in yet, but things were going smoothly so far. Both had been a parent to a baby before—Stan not with a baby this young, but still—and fell into a schedule of taking care of their daughter easily. Oliver even helped out, with small things and making silly faces at the adorable little baby. They were truly one happy family.

“Is she gonna sleep?” The boy asked quietly, watching curiously how his dad fed the small human. Stan looked down at him and smiled softly, nodding. “After this.”

“Can I hold her?” Oliver then questioned, once again curiosity seeping into his words. It was all new to him too and so far, he was more excited than anything else. Besides, she was his family. His real sister, even if they didn’t share both parents. Oliver still saw Bill as his dad, despite that they weren’t related by blood. Their connection was still strong.

“Once I finish her feeding you can, yeah?” Stan was still smiling, happy to see his son so happy about a sibling. He hadn’t ever really considered it, another child. He figured the boy was content with just his dad and he himself was more than content with Oliver. But then in came Bill and suddenly he was introduced to the desire for a little baby of their own.

Oliver nodded softly, sitting beside his dad patiently as he kept watching. Stan finished up the feeding, letting the small baby burp and making sure she was okay, before carefully handing her over to Oliver. He helped the boy out with holding the baby properly, smiling fondly as Oliver picked up on it quickly, smiling down at the little girl.

The shutter of a camera took both Stan and Bill’s attention, the blue eyed male blushing lightly when spotting his mom with a camera, a little away from them. She had clearly snapped a family picture, which everyone had to admit, was the right moment to do so. Stan simply smiled at the idea, pressing a sweet kiss to the other’s cheek. “Love you.”

Bill smiled widely at the whispered words, turning his head to press a kiss to Stan’s lips instead, both their eyes twinkling as they took the other’s in. “Love you too.”

“I have a last present!” An excited voice suddenly sounded over the chatter in the room, before the girl it belonged to quickly made her way to Stan. She held up her own present for the man, it being wrapped nicely probably because one of her dads did that and not too big. Her green eyes were shining from excitement, taking Stan in.

A soft chuckle left Stan at that, but he let go of Bill and after glancing at Oliver, to make sure he was still okay with his baby sister, he took the present. “Thank you Aries.”

The girl simply smiled widely, before bouncing to Eddie and climbing onto his lap. Eddie let out a playful ‘oomph’ as he wrapped his arms around her, smiling anyway and watching Stan. The dark haired male held up the present, taking it in for a moment, before he carefully started peeling at the wrapping paper.

The present was squared, a cube, and it was slightly heavy, but not too. Stan’s curiosity peaked, especially as the wrapping paper revealed a plain white box, with no hint to what was inside. He opened the box though, a fond smile overtaking his face as he saw what was inside.

It was a snow globe, though instead of the moving flakes being like white snow, it looked like sand. And as he took in the picture that was in the middle, one he had taken of Oliver and Aries back on their vacation, with the sandcastle, he knew it was indeed. A cute little sand globe, to remember how they all got together.

“This is beautiful.” Stan whispered, taking it in once more, before looking at the girl with a big smile. “Thank you, Aries.”

The girl giggled softly. “No problem uncle Stan.”

Stan took the globe in again, feeling all the memories come back to him. All the thoughts and events, along with all the feelings. The ones for Bill the most, tears nearly in his eyes as he looked at the blue eyed man next to him. He was already looking, smiling at him like he knew exactly what Stan was thinking of. As if he was sharing those thoughts.

“I got so lucky.” Stan mumbled, leaning over and kissing Bill them, ignoring the soft, yet playful ‘ew’ he got from his son. The two adults smiled into their kiss, pulling back and cuddling close, Bill’s arms wrapped around Stan to keep him close.

Stan remembers wondering what it would be like to be held in Bill’s strong arms, wanting to feel it. He couldn’t believe he had found that answer and that the same question was answered over and over since they got together, and especially after they got back together.

Being wrapped in Bill’s strong arms felt like love, sweet and pure love. It felt soft, whenever Bill held him like he could break. It felt safe, whenever Bill held him in the harder times, the sadder times. It felt calming, whenever Bill held him while they relaxed at night, watching a movie or just being together.

But most of all, being wrapping Bill’s arms, with his own around his kids, it felt like home.

Home was with the four of them, together.

_Home was wherever his family was._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp that’s the end folks!  
> Thank you to everyone who has read and supported the book! Honestly this was one of my favorite fics to write, it was just too cute :)  
> Anyway, make sure to check out my other works! I might also upload some extra chapters if I have the time.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys like! I’ve just been really into writing fluffy fics with kids :)


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